Without the Gift of Flight
by WritingBlues404
Summary: Gohan can't stand the person he's become since his fight with Cell. He struggles every day, trying to supress the memories of his past. But when his Saiyan abilites fail him, the young hero is left to make the most important decision ever: life or death?
1. Hinder

**Author's Note**: I know the idea of a depressive Gohan has been used countless times before, but I don't think I've ever seen a story quite like this. Or maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough. Anyway, this is my first fic and all reviews are welcome. Rated M for dark themes.

Disclaimer: I own Dragon Ball Z. Not.

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Chapter One: **H**inder

"_**Hello, I'm the lie living for you so you can hide; Don't cry." - Hello by Evanescence **_

_Ka-crash_.

A loud noise resonated throughout the tiny bedroom that held a once-sleeping child. Startled by this noise, the child's reflexes forced him into a sudden sitting position; both of his arms brought up into a defensive position, ready to attack whatever the threat may be. After a few moments of constant surveillance of, not only the inside, but the area outside of his house as well, the child deemed it safe and let down his guard. "Just a thunderstorm approaching." The 14 year-old sensed when there was no physical form of danger approaching. And sure enough, as soon as those words were uttered another crash of thunder echoed throughout the mountains around his home and seeped their way into his bedroom once again. Although this time, the thunder was soon followed by a bright flash of lighting that seemed to split the darkened sky in half.

The 14 year-old let his body go limp as it began to rain and fell listlessly back onto his bed; his short black hair sticking out in all directions across his blue pillow. '_Just go back to sleep.'_ he mentally commanded his body. The last time the child could remember getting a good nights' rest was a long, long time ago. Sometimes he would stare into the bathroom mirror the next morning and not recognize his own facial features after tossing and turning the whole night through - and that was on a good night.

Gohan's mind was too caught up in the events of the day to sleep. The same events that happened everyday. His "happy-go-lucky" attitude completely blocked what he was truly feeling; he felt like his life was going through a constant solar eclipse cycle. During the day he was the Gohan everyone thought to be happy and care-free. But at night, his moon would shift out of the way, leaving him vulnerable to the white-hot, burning sensation that has become his reality. The fire would eat at him and cause him pain as the memories of his past tried break through the neatly constructed barrier in his mind.

And the next day would show no signs of Gohan's inner struggle to maintain sanity. He would wake, eat the breakfast prepared by his mother with a smile, and do his studies or "play" outside by himself. Although, recently he had unwillingly taken up chores as an everyday task, leaving little room for his free-time. Gohan would even sometimes bring his little brother Goten to the park or over to Capsule Corp. to play with Trunks. He was always receiving compliments about how much of a "good brother" he was and how he was taking such good care of his family. But that did nothing but add fuel to the burning fire at night. His "friends" didn't know the real Gohan - or rather, who he had become over the past few years. They didn't know how he truly felt about his little brother.

After what seemed like hours, the child finally felt his muscles relax and his brain shift ever so slowly into an unconscious state. But suddenly he was startled once again by a small whisper. "Go'an." a smaller child called out to his older brother in a hushed tone as he climbed onto his bed. Gohan snapped his eyes open and immediately scrunched his face into a scowl when he fixated his eyes on the source of this new disturbance. Without turning his head, the teen answered with a growled, "What, Goten?"

"I scared." came the same hushed reply.

"Of what?" came the same growled reply.

"Of the… of the boom." the three-year-old stuttered, clutching his brother's sheets in his tiny hands.

"So?"

"So… so I sleep with you?" was the final question asked. Silence filled the room. The only sound to be heard was of the heavy down-pour pummeling the window in the shared room. If this were to happen to any other older brother, they most likely would've thought it cute and opened their bed up, no questions asked. But no such luck for this 14 year-old. As he lay there, glaring at his younger brother of only three, Gohan couldn't help but get angrier with each passing second.

God, this child _irritated _him. This child, that not only looked exactly like their deceased father, but was also a constant reminder of what he had done. Something he dared not even bring his conscious mind to think anything about. Anytime Gohan saw this child running around, care-free and happy, which was quite often, reminded him of someone. Someone Gohan would rather forget about.

Not only was Goten an anchor tugging on Gohan's suppressed memories, but he was also a trouble-maker. Anytime Gohan had to scold Goten for an action, Goten would go running to their mother, crying crocodile tears and blowing the whole situation out of proportion which usually resulted in a punishment of chores around the house; washing floors and doing laundry seemed to be part of an everyday task for the young demi-Saiyan nowadays. Goten disgraced Gohan and their father by being such a cry baby - although Gohan knew he only acted that way because of his age. Everyone else thought Goten adorable, which also sent a flood of negative emotions throughout Gohan's being. Even Piccolo showed the child a small smile when he thought no one would notice. But Gohan noticed. That was when Goten was only a few months old and they had all gathered at Bulma's house for the sole purpose of showing off the new addition to the gang. When Gohan saw his mentor - the last man on Earth who could possibly understand how he was feeling - show affection towards Goten, the little nuisance, Gohan knew his little brother would be nothing but trouble. And he was right.

Just as Gohan was about to deny the child access to his bed, another crash of thunder and a spark of lightening seared through the sky and caused Goten to quickly take cover under Gohan's blankets; clutching at Gohan's sheets with a hold that would make any Saiyan father proud. Gohan just sighed and turned away from the cowering toddler, knowing he would now need a crowbar if he wanted the kid out of his bed and, frankly, he didn't have the strength.

Gohan was so tired all the time, physically and mentally. He didn't want to study, he didn't want to spar, and he didn't want to eat - which is a big deal to a Saiyan. He couldn't sleep either. Each time he fell asleep, his mind would be plagued with such awful dreams that would only fling him back into existence 10 minutes later, panting and sweating, trying to decipher dream from reality. So, as he felt his younger brother snuggle close to his back for added protection, Gohan closed his eyes once more in a feeble attempt to get some kind of rest and began breathing deep. Concentrating on the way he inhaled and exhaled seemed to help him relax.

Focusing on his breathing brought Gohan into a meditation-like state of mind. Like he was sleeping, but still aware of his surroundings. This sort of "day-dream meditation" was as close as Gohan could get to sleeping without the gruesome nightmares. He would usually focus on small things, like how many animals he could sense out in the forest and then try to guess what kind of species it was or, as he was doing now, counting how many seconds were in between each thunder strike.

His slow breathing accompanied by the soothing sounds of the rain tapping against the glass of the window soon lulled the 14 year-old demi-Saiyan into a well deserved sleep, despite the fact that only a short hour later, he would be violently awakened again, trembling and softly crying into his pillow. The older child cradled his body as he curled into a small ball to try and find some sort of comfort. As he sobbed silently , the soft rays of the sun peaked through his window, caressing his face as if to sooth the broken child. Gohan's world seemed to be crumbling right beneath his feet and he was desperately awaiting a hand - anyone's hand - to reach forth and pull him out of the darkness that always lurked behind him, following his every movement, his every footstep, and his every thought.

**~0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~**

It was all beginning to be too much. Gohan was finally able to get some free-time and he decided to spend it by himself, deep within the forest. He sat, alone, on top of a cliff that overlooked the other trees, holding something in his hands. He looked delicately at it, contemplating his next actions. He already knew the results, but he just had to make sure - again. Gohan stared at the left side of his reflection in the shiny object as a lone tear escaped his right eye. He then tilted the sharp metal so he could see the right side of his complexion. After tilting the object back and forth between the left half of his blank expression, to the right half with the lone tear a few times, Gohan finally brought the stolen kitchen utensil to his right forearm for the umpteenth time in an already-known failed attempt at relief.

The 14 year-old "hero" slid the knife as hard as he could, without breaking it, across his skin, but only succeeded in leaving nothing more than a thin red line that quickly faded. He tried again, this time only using the tip to dig into his flesh, and still ended with the same results. So Gohan did what he usually did at this part of the failed experiment - he chucked the useless object into the depths of the dark forest below. He then brought his left hand up to his right forearm and sharply dug his nails into his flesh for an instant, and brief, release as he watched the sparkling metal tool take its place at the bottom of the cliff. Perhaps one day he'd go down and collect the knives and give them back to his mother. But for now he didn't even want to look at the good-for-nothing appliances. The dark-haired teenager then laid on his back and softly sobbed to the sky. With all of this pain dwelling inside of his body, and no way to release it, Gohan could do nothing but bottle it up until it burst out in the form of tears. Though the tears seemed to never stop, just like his constant agony.

And this was his life; this was the secret life he had been living on the inside for the past three years. Little did he know, it was all about to change.

For the worst.

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**Author's Note**: Well, chapter one is posted! All reviews are appreciated.


	2. Escape

Author's Note: So, here is chapter 2! I'm trying my best to keep everyone in character. I must re-type an action or part of dialogue at least a couple times before I think it's right. Anyway, onto the story!

Disclaimer: Nope... still don't own.

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Ch. 2:** E**scape

"As memory may be a paradise from which we cannot be driven, it may also be a hell from which we cannot escape." - John Lancaster Spalding 

_Drip, drip, drip._

The last remnants of water ran down Gohan's face and plummeted to the ceramic floor of the tub as he turned the knobs of the shower off and stepped out. Shaking his hair to stop the water from running down into his eyes, Gohan grabbed his towel and, after drying himself off, wrapped it around his waist and made his way over to the small, square mirror located above the sink. He turned on the faucet, grabbed his tooth-brush, and began brushing his teeth as he stared his reflection in the eyes. Roaming over his form, he noted the dark circles starting to appear under his glazed-over, pitch-black eyes and how his skin looked fragile and pale.

He looked dead. Or in this case, like a zombie since he was still moving around. _At least my skin isn't falling off and I don't smell as bad as a zombie…yet_, he thought with a harsh laugh as he finished brushing his teeth and began to dress himself in a white t-shirt and loose black pants. Stepping out of the bathroom, Gohan then began to walk in the direction of the kitchen; his nose catching the scent of breakfast made him want to turn the other direction but he knew his mother would be calling for him to come eat anyway so he decided to just face the music.

"I swear, these things just get up and walk away!" Gohan heard his mother whisper as she rummaged through an open drawer full of clinking metals. His Saiya-jin senses could pick up even the tiniest of noises with ease. "Good morning, sweetheart." Chi-Chi called as she slammed the drawer shut and moved her way over to the stove to cook the last of the meal. "Talking to yourself again, Mother?" Gohan replied with a lazy, bemused smirk. Almost every inch of the table was covered in food except for the small areas in front of the chairs where the empty plates were set. Chi-Chi giggled lightly at her eldest son's comment and answered with, "I was just thinking about how little knives we have. I could've sworn we had more, but then again maybe my old age is getting to me."

After setting the last of the home-made breakfast on the table, Chi-Chi rose a hand to her mouth and rose her voice lightly to get the message across to her youngest. "Goten! Breakfast is ready!" Chi-Chi called out to her second born. Gohan slightly cringed at the name as he took his seat, still not used to it being thrown around nonchalantly. Chi-Chi took her seat as well at the table and smirked as she heard the quick steps of her youngest running towards the kitchen. Soon, Goten appeared in the kitchen with a bright smile on his face and quickly climbed up to his seat right next to his brother. Gohan scooted his seat ever so slightly away from Goten, trying to put as much distance as possible between the two chairs as he dropped tiny portions of food onto his plate.

Goten didn't bother using a plate. He just picked up his chopsticks and began shoveling food down his throat as quickly as possible. Gohan usually closed his eyes and started eating his food at this point, trying to block out the way Goten ate and how it reminded him of…

He stopped his thoughts abruptly. Gohan had a feeling that if he finished that thought, something bad would happen and it wouldn't end well. So, Gohan did what he always did - he buried the nameless, faceless memory in the deepest, darkest parts of his mind, hopefully never to be thought of again. But his actions were proven to be in vain as Chi-Chi innocently commented, "Goten, sweetie, use a plate, please" but then dropped her voice to a barely audible whisper, "Jeez, you're just like your father." Chi-Chi then stood to wipe Goten's face off with a napkin, completely missing her eldest sons reaction to her harmless words.

Gohan's face was frozen in shock. It had been so long since that word had been thought about, let alone uttered. It seemed so foreign yet so familiar - too familiar. His mouth slightly open, awaiting the small amount of food that rested between his chopsticks. His eyes were wide with a mixture of shock and fear as they stared intently at the wall behind his mother's chair. His hand began to tremble, letting his chopsticks fall to the table, but his hand remained in the exact same position. Soon his whole body was trembling as concealed memories tried to break through the neatly designed barrier Gohan had spent three years making. Gohan's hands drew up to his head and grasped his hair suddenly, completely unaware of his mother and brother's curious eyes on the him now. Then, unexpectedly, one memory slipped through the barrier in his mind. But this memory wasn't one of pictures or faces. This memory was only one of words. Nevertheless, these were the words that hurt the most, that tore him apart the most, that made him regret everything he had ever done wrong during his life. Only three words voiced by the most respected man in his life: _**"Goodbye, my son." **_

Those words bounced off of every wall in Gohan's mind and with every impact, the pain grew worse and worse; starting from his head, it snaked its way down his spine and throbbed throughout his entire being in short agonizing bursts, like a dying heartbeat. Chi-Chi ran over to her distressed son and called out, "Gohan! What's wrong?"

As she placed her hand on Gohan's shoulder, he immediately stood up, knocking over his chair in the process, and started backing away from his family. Those words kept echoing and the pain continued to get worse until finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He looked at his family as if they were complete strangers; tears rolled down his cheeks and blurred his vision. Gohan began to pant heavily and, to him, it felt like it was over 100 degrees in the tiny eating area.

"Gohan?" Chi-Chi pleaded, taking another step closer to him.

"L-Leave me alone." he choked out desperately. Gohan couldn't decipher whether he was talking to his mother or to the words that violently waltzed through his skull. He was torn between the reality he was living on the inside and the lie he tried to maintain on the outside. "I… I'm fine." he sputtered out, voice cracking half-way though his pitiful statement. But his lie neither convinced himself nor his mother as he still stood trembling, tears racing down his face and falling to the floor and his chest. After realizing how pathetic his attempt at lying was, Gohan saw his only way out and went for it. He ran through the front door and instantly took to the sky as his mother ran out after him screaming his name and pleading for him to come back.

**~0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~**

Gohan flew away from his home as fast as he could. He didn't know where he was going, nor did he care. He just knew he needed to get as far away as possible. He began to fly faster. He felt that if he didn't go fast enough, what plagued him would catch up and devour him, mind and soul. His muscles tightened as he pushed himself to his limits. _Come on, you stupid body! What's the point of being the strongest if you still can't even protect yourself! _Gohan cursed. Soon, he realized that the more energy he exerted while flying, the weaker the voice in his head got. As he flew over the forest, Gohan decided to exert as much energy as he could and then, maybe if God allowed, he would be so tired he wouldn't even be able to remember what had just occurred. Gohan dipped into the forest and began weaving in and out of the paths of on coming trees, dodging them just before he hit. Gohan was swimming in the euphoria being created as his muscles started to burn. It wasn't long before Gohan was too caught up in his race to outrun his past to notice the time passing by like seconds. When Gohan finally came back to reality he couldn't even tell how long he'd been flying around for - the forest was always darker on the inside then the outside and he must've circled the entire forest hundreds of times.

Gohan's wish was granted, though. He had been flying for so long, exerting so much energy that he couldn't even remember why he had taken flight in the first place. His conscious just kept telling him to fly; stopping would only mean the end to his counterfeit happiness. So Gohan continued on his flight even when his arms began to tremble from the strenuous activity. Weaving, turning, twisting, veering, zigzagging - making any movement at all to alter his direction.

Gohan's eyelids began to get heavy. The wind embracing his face and then sliding down his body to playfully ruffle his clothes in such a gentle way comforted the young man and started to draw him into unconsciousness. Several times Gohan reopened his eyes and tried to focus, only to repeat the cycle a few moments later. As the demi-Saiyan reopened his glazed, tired eyes for the umpteenth time he became fully aware of an oncoming tree. Gohan quickly swerved out of the way. He was so close to hitting it that the bark caught part of his shirt and ripped a hole in it. The 14 year-old looked down at the tattered remains of his white t-shirt and mentally cursed. His mother was going to have a fit when he arrived home. On a regular flight, running into a tree would cause little to no damage at all. But this wasn't a regular flight - at the speed Gohan was going, flying full force into a tree could do some pretty significant harm and not only would his shirt be ripped, but blood-stained, as well as having multiple injuries. Gohan did not want a full on confrontation with his mother tonight about the condition he would return in if that happened. He sighed and took this incident as a sign that it was time it call it quits. _I should start heading home_, Gohan concluded. Though, his body had a different plan in mind. His eyelids became unbearably heavy at this point and slid shut once again as he glided into darkness; the sound of a loud crash echoing in his ears before he completely submitted to his mind's decision.

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Author's Note: Seemed a little short... Review! Critiques are much appreciated!


	3. Label

**Author's Note:** I apologize for not updating in a while! Truly, I do! School became hectic and then my computer crashed, which inturn erased half of the story. But now I have a new computer, so be expecting regular updates.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z. Or the quotes, which should seem obvious.

Ch. 3: **L**abel

"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before." - Edgar Allan Poe

_Silence._

Opening his eyes or closing them - it didn't seem to matter in this place. Gohan awakened, surrounded by darkness. He took in this new black setting; he saw nothing, smelled nothing, heard nothing, tasted nothing, and felt nothing. Gohan cracked a small smile at that last realization. If this place made him feel nothing, then it couldn't be all that bad, he determined. Maybe this dream would be different than all his others. Gohan decided he'd try to enjoy this place as much as possible before he had to return to reality, and that could be at any second. He squinted his eyes, trying his best to see some sort of light that would show him the way, but none surfaced. He sighed and then proceeded to walk in a random direction. _Might as well do some exploring instead of just sitting here and doing nothing_, Gohan decided and continued his walk. He did everything possible to keep himself preoccupied; humming a made-up tune, swinging his arms back and forth, and clicking his tongue were his only source of entertainment as he made his way through the dark abyss. Next on his list of distractions, Gohan took to whistling. But, unexpectedly, the whistle echoed through the darkness and came back to smack Gohan in the face only a few moments after it was released. Gohan looked around, trying to see the cause, but it was useless. He then realized what this meant - that the space around him was smaller than it appeared.

Gohan tried to determine how far he walked, but with no trail and no landmarks, it was an impossible action. He had been walking for a while it seemed, so the place couldn't of been that small. Gohan drew his arms up behind his head and laughed at the absurdity of this new place. _What will my brain come up with next?_ He laughed again. Whistling once more, this time even louder and in different frequencies, Gohan tried to determine how close the edge of this darkness went. Sure enough, as soon as the different whistles were exhaled, it only took a second or two to reach back to Gohan's ears. Gohan then reached a hand out from behind his head to see if he could touch the wall, but felt nothing. He walked a few more steps with his hand still searching for an object and still came up empty. Gohan whistled, this time trying to sense the other side with his mind instead of his body, although, this time, nothing reverberated back to Gohan's ears. It was as though the whistle was swallowed up by something. Gohan cocked an eyebrow and tried again. Still nothing.

Standing there for a moment, Gohan contemplated what the reason could be for the absence of the echo when suddenly, the whistle was returned ten times stronger which pushed Gohan off his feet and he landed full force on his forehead. Pushing himself up quickly, Gohan slammed his eyes shut and quickly pressed his hands to the tender spot on the front of his head. He sat there for a moment, growling at whatever the hell just happened, until the searing pain died down to a tolerable level. When Gohan finally calmed down he opened his eyes only to be shocked by the new surroundings.

He was sitting in the middle of what resembled the forest surrounding his house. Except the sky took on unnatural tints of orange, pink, and purple. The colours were so vibrant that it looked like someone had just painted them and they were in the process of drying. Gohan stood and began walking towards the brightest part of this lushes forest. He noted the way the forest smelled of heavy moisture, ensuring it was nice and healthy. Gohan broke free from the forest after a few moments of walking and came upon a small clearing. A lake sat in the middle of this clearing surrounded by trees, singing birds, and a beautifully decorated sky. Everything seemed so peaceful and serene that Gohan was at a loss of words. It was like a dream come true. Gohan could sense that this was a place of harmony and tranquility. This place had no problems; not a care in the world. It was so calm here that Gohan's eyes began to water with the comprehension of what this meant for him.

This was his perfect world. This is what he's wanted, what he's yearned for. Gohan looked over at a tree and saw a small, baby bird. The most wondrous shade of blue graced its feathers. That single bird, smaller than all the rest, leapt from its branch and lead all the others to the sky. The birds circled over the clearing as Gohan stood up and laughed. The birds sang so skillfully it made Gohan's heart swell with joy. There was nothing to hide here - he could truly let his worries go since everything was fine. Gohan wiped his eyes with the back of his hand as he laughed again and looked up to the birds. They seemed to be welcoming him to their happy home. Gohan looked to the miniature lake and walked over to it. After dipping his hands in and taking a big drink, Gohan admired his reflection in the water; he looked like his old self again. No dark rings around his eyes, skin the right colour - no more zombie look. He smiled once again, already loving this place to no end.

Gohan stood just as everything became silent. The only sound heard after was a small thump as something fell to the right of his being. He slowly turned around to face the fallen object. There on the ground, in the middle of a small patch of beautiful flowers of numerous whites, pinks, and yellows, laid a small, feathery body. Gohan slowly approached it, feeling an odd sense of anxiety grow with every step he took. When he was standing in front of the tiny blue-bird, Gohan knelt down on one knee to get a better look. The small creature still twitched and convulsed on the ground and chirped weakly.

"Oh, no." Gohan spoke out, fearfully. His eyes were wide as he bent over slightly to pick the smallest bird up, but then a repeating sound caught his ears, stopping his current action. Gohan looked around himself and watched as bird after bird fell from the sky and landed on the ground with a sickening crack; all of them convulsing and squawking in pain. He could hear every bone snap inside the little bodies as the onslaught raged on. The birds' could not take to the air anymore as they struggled to get back up. And instead of the beautiful, skillfully sung songs that graced Gohan's ears once before, sounds of hurt and pleading were emanated in their place. There had to be at least 30 birds surrounding Gohan, all in bad shape.

The suddenness of this caused Gohan's heart to shatter and his stomach to wrench. "This can't be happening." Gohan whispered in a shaky voice while grabbing at his stomach. Without warning, his forehead began to throb again, causing Gohan to shriek out and clutch the tender area in his hands. The once tranquil looking forest died away and left nothing but bare, dead tree stalks and the artistically drawn sky of orange, pink, and purple faded away to an ominous shade of blackish blue. "What's going on?" Gohan frantically called out. His perfect world crumbled in the blink of an eye, revealing its true nature to be nothing more than a wasteland of despair and discomfort.

Gohan looked to the baby bird that was the first to fall and, ignoring his own throbbing pain, bent down to gingerly cup it in his hands. "Maybe… maybe if I help you, everything will go back to being alright." Gohan cried, feeling that was what needed to happen. As he picked up the dying bird, he thought, _The lake! It'll make you normal! You'll be your old self again, just like it made me! _

Gohan rushed over to the lake as fast as he could. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, though, and Gohan just couldn't get to the lake fast enough. His legs felt like they were weighted down, leaving him stranded in this desolate wilderness with no way out. The baby blue-bird squirmed in his hands a few more times as Gohan encouraged it to fight on and to live. He was now only inches away from the life-saving lake; but all had become still. Gohan froze and peered down at the now lifeless baby in his hands. "No…" He whispered. Gohan's arms trembled. He stood at the edge of the lake, just a few more seconds and he could've saved the bird. He failed. Again.

He failed to protect something in a beautiful world. Failed to fight to save something important. Gohan's face was wet with tears as he sobbed loudly. _Maybe I can still save it. Maybe the water will bring it back to life_, Gohan thought. Gohan sniffed as he continued to cry and edged his way to the water once again. Though, this time, when he peered into the still water, he did not see himself as he did before. This time, he saw himself in his purple gi. But it was torn and his body was adorned with severe injuries that bled and leaked down his skin. His hair stood up straight and was a shade of fiery gold and blue sparks flickered randomly around him.

This is what he looked like. This is how people saw him on that fateful day. Gohan was in a trance like state as he stared at the image now portrayed in the lake water. The only thing that broke his gaze was the warm sticky goop he felt seeping through his hands and leaking into the lake. Gohan's vision switched from that of the lake, to the bird that was supposed to be lying lifeless in his hands. Although, there was no bird; blood had taken its place. The blood was so thick that it ever-so-slowly oozed its way through the seams of his hands and plopped into the water below.

Gohan released his hands and let the entire quantity fall into the water, blurring his entire reflection and immediately swirling to create a new form. The agony was too much to bare. Gohan's mind started to swim through a wave of dizziness. He tried so hard not to get sick all over the ground - he still felt that there was a certain amount of respect that needed to be upheld in this place. He could not disrespect it just because it was a desolate wasteland now; it was once very loveable and peaceful after all.

Gohan threw himself on his hands and knees as the dizzy spell knocked him off his feet. His mouth went completely dry. He needed a drink so very badly. Creeping his way to the very edge of the darkened lake, Gohan peered over the side of it and was once again halted mid-action. Spelled out in blood was one single word. One single word that haunted him in his darkest nightmares and his wildest imaginations: _Murderer_.

That was it. Gohan snapped. His head throbbed at an insanely agonizing pace. Gohan seized his head and screamed at the top of his lungs. He lost all feeling in his body; giving way to his weight, he fell deep down into the dark lake mixed with the blood of the innocent. He sunk, gagging on the water that forced its way into his mouth and lungs. All of his strength was gone and he couldn't move at all. The taste of blood lingered on his tongue. With one final, gurgled shriek Gohan plunged into unconsciousness, not even able to protect himself at this point.

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**Author's Note:** Chapter 3, done! Reviews, Welcome.


	4. Lies

**Author's Note: **So, here is the next chapter! Hope you enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing unfortunately.

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Ch. 4: **L**ies

**"He that is thy friend indeed,**

**He will help thee in thy need:**

**If thou sorrow, he will weep;**

**If thou wake, he cannot sleep:**

**Thus of every grief in heart**

**He with thee does bear a part.**

**These are certain signs to know**

**Faithful friend from flattering foe." - William Shakespeare**

_Rushing wind drifted to his ears._

Gohan slowly shifted back into existence with the distinct feeling of drifting through the air. Not yet having the mental strength to command his eyes to open, Gohan instead decided to just enjoy the breeze. He was happy to be out of that horrid lake that swallowed him up. However, Gohan was pulled from his split-second happiness as he found it odd to just be floating through the air after falling asleep. He then became aware of hands that wrapped around his body.

Someone had him. Someone was taking him somewhere. Gohan automatically began to struggle in the stone-like grip; his energy was still sapped and he wasn't able to fight like he normally would've.

"Whoa, easy, kid. If you keep squirming, I might drop you. And do you think I have the patience to go and save you, again?"

The demi-Saiyan froze in his movements. He quickly pried opened his eyes and stared up at the green-skinned, Namekian-Earthling. For a brief moment, Gohan felt a blend of relief and joy at seeing his closest friend, but that soon turned to a sense of irritation. Everybody came across as annoying to the teenager these days, and not even his mentor could be spared his sarcasm.

"I don't need saving." Gohan spat.

"Oh? Is running head-first into trees and knocking yourself out a new kind of training method that I'm not aware of?" Piccolo retorted. Gohan didn't reply; instead, he just laid there and refused to make eye-contact.

Piccolo could sense distress and awkwardness coming from Gohan's ki. He had been sensing a lot of these strange emotions from the child whenever he let them slip through their mental link. Although, everything else was blocked off. Now Piccolo was never one to pry and he, too, loved his solitude now and then so he didn't bring it up to the boy and ask why he was being so secretive lately. But now, after finding the boy in a heap at the base of an upturned tree and a big, bloody cut across his forehead to prove how strong the impact was, accompanied by the strange vibes radiating towards himself, the Namekian wasn't too sure he wanted to leave the boy on his own anymore to sort out his own problems.

Several minutes of silence ensued. Gohan just relaxed in Piccolo's arms instead of continuing the fight. _If he's going to carry me, I might as well get the best out of it. I'm too weak to fly yet; I need sleep. Just one night of undisturbed sleep_, Gohan silently pleaded with his mind. He looked around, trying to take his mind off of this hectic day, and noticed the sky had taken on a deep orange hue and he could see the sun setting behind the mountains_. Wow, I really have been gone a long time. Mom's gonna kill me. _

Piccolo suddenly dived down towards the forest and swiftly landed - bending his knees slightly to lessen the impact of the touch down. He set Gohan down gently and then took a few steps back. Gohan surveyed the environment and at once came to the conclusion that he was a few 100 yards away from the clearing that held his home. "Clean your face off before you give your mother a heart attack." Piccolo instructed as he pointed to a tiny, misshapen circle of a pond.

Without answering, Gohan began walking towards the pond; a little apprehensive, though, as he thought back to his most recent dream. Upon looking into the pond, Gohan's fears were diminished as he realized it was too dark to see anything in the pond, let alone his reflection. He scooped up some water into his hands and began wiping off his face, observing the light red and crusty bits that trickled from his face. He then brought a hand up to his forehead and gingerly followed the line that was the source of the blood. Gohan visibly flinched at the pain this action caused. Brushing it off, Gohan continued to clean his face until the water ran clear in his hands. But his shirt though, that was a different story. His once white t-shirt was now ripped and blood-stained. Boy, if Gohan thought his mother was going to be mad before, she was going to be absolutely livid now!_ Not only did I leave suddenly after freaking out, but then I return hours later looking like this? I'll be lucky if I come out alive._

Gohan sighed as he stood up. He felt so drained that just the act of standing was becoming difficult. "Alright, Gohan. Spill it." Piccolo's gruff voice called out. Gohan looked at him confused for a moment before answering with, "Spill what?"

"Don't play games, kid. I want to know what your problem is."

Gohan wasn't in the mood for this. He just wanted to get home before he collapsed from exhaustion. Dreams or no dreams, Gohan was going to get some rest. "There is no problem." he responded to the Namekian.

"Is that why you're running away from home and look like you can't even stand on your two feet without a struggle?"

Gohan just shrugged and looked down at the ground. He wasn't going to talk anymore, so he took to waiting for Piccolo to give up and leave instead. They stood a few feet away from one another for what seemed like forever. Soon the sky became dark and crickets could be heard chirping their midnight songs. Piccolo just sighed at this point - he wasn't getting anywhere with this kid tonight. "Well, rest up, kid. Tomorrow I'll be back and we're going to spar."

"What?" Gohan gasped. Sparring now? With the way he was feeling?

"Yeah, you heard me. It's been a while and seeing as you appear to have all of this energy that you're willing to just waste away, why not put it to some good use?"

Gohan just stared at Piccolo, not saying a word. He didn't want to look at Piccolo anymore and he knew the only way to get rid of him. "Fine," he agreed, "Tomorrow." And with that, Piccolo took off into the night sky. When Piccolo was out of sight, Gohan's face turned to one of pure anger as he spun around and punched a large dent into a nearby tree. "Damn it," he growled, "Why won't everyone just leave me alone?"

Gohan lazily dragged himself to his home. Needless to say his mother wasn't all too thrilled with the way he looked when he appeared in the doorway. Chi-Chi demanded an answer, and she demanded it now. Gohan put on his most innocent looking face and the trademark Son grin and roughly explained how he was just having a bad day and needed some fresh air. And after "messing around" with the woodland animals he accidentally ran into a tree. "How clumsy of me." Gohan finished with a laugh as he rubbed the back of his head. Chi-Chi softened at Gohan's story and the way he stood there, laughing lightly. Chi-Chi then put a hand to the top of his head and ruffled his hair gently, "As clumsy as your father, I guess."

Gohan lowered his gaze to the floor. His smile fell away and his mind went blank - he felt nothing but numbness flow through his body like the calm before a storm. Mentioning Goku had been a test though and now Chi-Chi's suspicions were confirmed as she closely watched Gohan's reaction to her words. Something told her that Gohan's explanation wasn't right, but she decided not to press the matter any further, at least not tonight. Instead she let Gohan off with a warning and bandaged up his wound; he sat in silence, waiting for the moment his mother would finish her ministrations.

"Are you hungry, Gohan? Do you want me to pull dinner back out?" Chi-Chi asked as she finished dressing his wound. At this question, Gohan realized that he hadn't eaten anything all day. "No thanks," Gohan answered solemnly, "I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure?" Chi-Chi asked. However, Gohan just started walking towards his bedroom without reassuring her. Chi-Chi sighed as her stomach had an uneasy feeling about the whole situation. And she could've sworn she heard the growl of an empty belly as Gohan closed the door to his bedroom.

**~0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~**

Gohan stood in his darkened room with his back facing the bedroom door. _As clumsy as my father, huh?_ He thought with a dark chuckle. Gohan stood in his room, looking at nothing in particular in the dim area, and brought his right arm up to the inside of his left forearm. "I'm nothing like my father." Gohan whispered as he dug his nails into his skin, reveling in the way the sharp sting soothed away his rage. Four tiny, crescent-shaped lesions ran in a deformed line down his forearm and began to fill with the blood that lay dormant beneath his skin.

"Go'an?" a small voice called out. Gohan was still swimming in the adrenaline rush caused by his self-infliction and didn't hear his little brother at first. "Go'an!" Goten called out a little more fiercely which snapped Gohan out of his trance.

"What?" his cold voice cut through the air like a knife. He then walked over to his bed and plopped himself down without changing his clothes.

"Where you go ta'day?"

"Nowhere. Just out."

Gohan then heard the sound of a soft creak as small feet hit the wooden floor and then shuffled their way over to his bed and climb up. Both brothers sat in silence for a moment until Goten stated, "I miss you ta'day." When Gohan said nothing, Goten continued, "Can you teach me to fly?"

Gohan looked down at his little brother. Moonlight filtered through the window and lit up Goten's form, making him glow. Upon seeing this, Gohan felt something tug from deep within him. "No." he answered simply and turned away.

"Why no?" Goten question. "Big brother strongest, mommy say so! You can! You can!" Goten insisted, tugging at Gohan's arm. Gohan growled at this act and pulled his arm away roughly. Goten became silent at this and let his head tip down slightly. Goten then slipped from Gohan's bed and made his way back to his own without a word. Gohan lay down in his own bed and turned away from his brother as he always did and curled himself into a fettle position. Tears silently made their way into in his blue pillow - as they have been for the last three years.

Gohan's exhausted body still felt numb from the actions he performed today which forced it to relax. His mind was just as numb with the burden of the emotions he's had to deal with for so long_. How can I be so strong when I feel so weak? My abilities are meaningless if I can't even protect myself. What's the point in even having them? I'm so pathetic!_ Gohan cried out mentally before he slipped into unconsciousness once again.

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**Author's Note:** Sorry for the chapters being kind of short. They'll get a little longer as the story progresses. Reviews of all kinds acceptable.


	5. Idle

**Author's Note: **The next chapter has arrived! Thank you to all who reviewed. It really motivates me :)

**Disclaimer: **All rights go to Akira Toriyama.**

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**

Ch. 5: **I**dle

**"My grief lies all within, and these external manners of lament are merely shadows to the unseen grief that swells with silence in the tortured soul." - William Shakespeare **

_Chopsticks hitting bowls floated throughout the room._

"Piccolo's coming over today to spar." Gohan casually mumbled as he placed a small amount of food in his mouth. He thought maybe bringing this fact up to his mother, especially at breakfast, would get him off the hook from having to train with the Namek.

"Is that so?" she questioned matter-of-factly, placing her own food in her mouth. _Here it comes_, Gohan smiled in a mischievous way as he lifted his glass of orange juice off of the table and to his lips.

"Well, have fun." came Chi-Chi's unexpected answer. Gohan almost spit the mixed contents of his drink and breakfast all over the table, if he wasn't already choking on them.

"Huh?" Gohan was able to gasp out after painfully forcing the mixture down his throat.

"I think it's a great idea. You haven't seen much of Piccolo lately and you could use some man-to-man… er… man-to-… Namek time." his mother finished with a soft smile after popping another helping of food in her mouth. _Well, there goes my one chance of getting out of it_, Gohan sighed as he finished up his meal and placed his dishes in the sink. He washed his dishes silently until his mother decreed, "You should let me re-bandage your boo-boo before you go; you don't want it to get infected, do you?"

"No, Mom, I'll be fine. The bandage will only get in my way. I'll be sure to wash it real good when I get home, okay?" Gohan reassured as he finished rinsing his utensils and put them away in the cupboards. Chi-Chi hummed in agreement as she finished her meal and stood from the table.

Gohan turned to leave the kitchen when Chi-Chi called after him, "Will you go check on your brother and make sure he isn't making a mess? I plan on taking him over to Bulma's shortly to play with Trunks, if you'd like to join us later."

"Yeah, sure." Gohan replied over his shoulder as he left the eating area_. He ate so quickly, even for him, and ran back out. He's up to something_, Gohan thought uneasily. After feeling for Goten's ki and locating it in their mother's room, Gohan walked in that direction and soon came to find the bedroom door slightly ajar and a quiet ruffling noise on the other side. Gohan pushed the door open slightly and poked his head inside to find his mother's closet door open and miscellaneous items scattered across the floor. A bunch of her clothes were thrown outside of her closet along with a tipped over box, spilling out what looked like old table clothes - or just really ugly dresses. His mother never really had all that much style when it came to the "here and now". With a sigh, Gohan pushed the door open fully and walked inside. "What are you doing?" he asked curtly, making Goten jump. Goten leaned his head out of the closet with a startled expression but smiled when he realized it was only his older brother.

"You scared me!" Goten giggled.

"I'll ask you again, what are you doing in Mom's closet? You know you're not allowed in there."

"I look and look but I can't find them." Goten explained with a finger pointing to the open closet.

"What are you looking for?" Gohan asked curiously as he walked to the closet and peered inside. What could Goten possibly want out of their mother's closet? All that was in there were her clothes and boxes and boxes of old junk.

"I lookin' for the dragon balls!" he answered excitedly as he stamped his feet a few times and clapped his hands together. Now Gohan was beyond confused, but Goten just continued, "Mommy say dragon balls make wishes happen, but they hiding. So, I gonna find 'em!" he finished as he resumed his search. Goten proceeded to pull out anything and everything in his way - boxes, big or small, clothes, old books, photo albums, and even bags of mystery junk didn't hinder his journey. He placed it all in an organized mess outside of the closet; keeping the enclosure around himself mess-free to better move around in.

Gohan decided to play along with this charade. "And what exactly are you going to wish for when you do find them?" he smiled as he leaned against the closet door. Goten's pace slowed gradually until it came to a complete stop. His eyes dropped down to the piece of clothing he now held in his hands, however it was not the main concern in his mind at the moment. "Go'an sad a lot." he uttered. Gohan suddenly tensed up at his younger brother's sudden seriousness. He eyed the toddler out of the corner of his eye, waiting for him to go on. "Go'an cry at night, too; I can hear you. I ask mommy 'How come?' and she say Go'an sad 'cause Daddy don't live here, he live in heaven. She tell me not to talk 'bout Daddy when you here or else you be sad more. So," Goten's voice took on a happier tone, "I find dragon balls and wish Daddy live here with us and -" Goten was cut off as he was knocked out of the way by the slamming-shut closet door. He stumbled backwards and then fell onto his backside. Goten looked up from his place on the floor to see what had happened and met the angry, glassy eyes of his older brother, though the rest of his face held no expression at all. "Go'an…?" Goten asked quietly. The look he was receiving from his brother was scaring him. Although, Goten didn't stay afraid for long. He, too, became angry with his brother's unnecessary actions; he stood up and clenched his tiny hands into tight fists as his face turned to one of great annoyance. "Why you do that? I was lookin' for -"

"Shut up!" Gohan sneered. That was all he said before he turned his back to the toddler and walked towards the bedroom door. The cut that stood out so prominently on his forehead began to throb again with the sudden anger Gohan felt. Goten just stood silently and whimpered as enraged tears began to brim his eyes. The older Demi-Saiyan stopped before he exited the bedroom and, in one final act of spitefulness, spat over his shoulder, "There's no such thing as wishing." He then exited the room and left a bawling Goten standing in the middle of their mother's bedroom to deal with his broken dreams all alone.

**~0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~**

He never thought he'd say it, but Gohan was glad Piccolo came to get him. His mother was just in the process of consoling a heart-broken Goten and finding out what had caused his bad mood when Gohan sensed Piccolo's ki outside and abruptly told his mother he was leaving. He then took off without waiting for a reply and was now flying through the air with his mentor.

They hadn't spoken at all, though. The moment Gohan flew outside, they had taken off. Piccolo must've sensed the commotion inside and thought it best to just take off before Chi-Chi appeared. Gohan just mentally thanked God he was able to side-swipe that scolding. For now, at least.

They flew for about 20 minutes before landing in a separate forest area. The roof of this area was covered with the tops of trees, although the ground didn't have a tree around them for at least 30 feet. The trees were so tall that they were able to cover the sky and emanate a nice cooling shade, but still allow a decent amount of sun to shine through. A waterfall graced a moss covered stone wall a few feet away from where they landed. This place was indeed a special place to Piccolo - it was his meditation zone. Gohan had been here countless times, but they had never fought; they had always come here to relax and get away for a little while. "You plan on fighting in those clothes?" Piccolo questioned as he eyeed at the black pants, white shirt, and green hoodie that adorned his former student, although his question fell on deaf ears as Gohan continued to observe the area. "Why are we here?" Gohan asked. This certainly wasn't on his "list of possible training spots".

Piccolo unfolded his arms and laid them to rest at his sides as he answered, "I wanted this sparring session to be more of a relaxer than just something for you to get more worked up about. So I chose the most relaxing place I could think of."

Gohan just stood where he landed and observed more of the area. It had been a while since he'd been here - at least before the arrival of the androids. He and Piccolo would often come to this area and relax while his father hunted down lunch for his son - the Namekian didn't eat, therefore wouldn't want anything.

Gohan's eyes immediately began to water with the realization brought about by this place. No, that's it! This place wouldn't do - not since it brought back such painful memories. Gohan turned away from his mentor. He refused to cry in front of anyone; it was bad enough that his family knew how weak he'd become and he'd be damned if anyone else found out. When Gohan felt as though he were about to snap under the tranquil pressure this place set upon him, he quickly retreated away from his once-close friend.

"And where do you think you're going?" Piccolo inquired. The Namekian could now clearly sense the amount of panic and fear flowing from his former student and he wasn't going to just let him leave. Piccolo was going to get to the bottom of Gohan's new found attitude, even if he had to force it out him.

When Gohan refused to answer, Piccolo had no choice but to start this off the hard way. One minute Gohan was storming away from his once-close friend, and the next he found himself sprawled out on his back with a searing pain shooting through his cheek. After raising a shaky hand to the wounded area and looking up to see what the cause of it was, Gohan yelled out, "Ow! Piccolo! What the hell?"

"Get up, Gohan. You know that attack was nothing - more like a tap on the wrist. Now stand up and fight me." Piccolo was determined to get through to the stubborn teen. He would never admit it, but he would do anything for the demi-Saiyan, even if it meant taking a beating just to help ease his inner struggle. Challenging the universe's strongest fighter might not end in the happiest way, but at least Piccolo could help Gohan in some way.

Gohan didn't stay down for long after that. He quickly jumped to his feet and immediately got into a defensive stance. This stance, however, was not one used in a friendly fighting session. This had been the pose used when fighting the most dangerous villains. Nappa, Vegeta, Frieza, the Androids, and even Cell himself all had the honor of witnessing the perfect defensive posture that left no room open for an attack.

Gohan had reached his breaking point. The tiniest breath could send him off the edge, tumbling into the nothingness that was taking over his mind and eating away at his soul. It was swallowing him up. Even as Gohan lunged at Piccolo, throwing a punched aimed for his face, the Namek dodged it with ease and sent his knee crashing into Gohan's abdomen. Piccolo then drove his elbow into Gohan's spine which sent him shooting to the ground. Gohan landed on all fours and crouched there, gasping for breath, as tears trickled from his eyes.

"What kind of attack was that?" Piccolo chastised. Gohan gripped the grass underneath his hands as he quickly thought of his next attack. The first thought that came to his mind was the one he acted on; disappearing from his spot on the ground and reappearing behind Piccolo with his hands mashed together to form a tight fist. As Gohan brought down his attack, Piccolo snatched up his wrists in one hand and flung the teenager down onto the ground.

"You're too slow. You're putting all of your strength into you're attacks and putting nothing into how you execute them. You're forgetting the basics. Wise up!" Piccolo commanded as a bright yellow beam of light left his index finger and headed towards where Gohan lay. Before the beam reached its destination, Gohan sprang to his feet and pounced out of the way. He then turned sharply and headed for Piccolo once more.

_Gohan seems to have gotten a lot weaker since his fight with Cell; it's like he's fighting in water_, Piccolo mentally contemplated, raising his arm up to block Gohan's oncoming attack. _Come on, Gohan_, Piccolo mentally encouraged as he blocked the barrage of punches and kicks his former student sent forth_, I know you can do better. You're not a-_

_Weakling!_ Gohan's mind sharply rang in as his next attack missed again and earned him a kick to the back. Gohan hit the Earth and bounced, causing him to do a mini front-flip and end up on his back. _You're pathetic_, his mind called out again_. You haven't been able to land a single blow, and you're supposed to be the strongest?_ Gohan just silently laid on the ground, eyes shut, tears still pouring through, and trying desperately to catch his breath. _You disappoint everyone by becoming so weak. For God's sake, get up and FIGHT!_ Gohan's eyes snapped open as the last word screeched through his head. His conscious mind faded out as he picked himself up off of the ground and glared hatefully at Piccolo.

Piccolo'd seen that look before. It was the same look Gohan had given Radditz after exploding from the Saiyan's spaceship. Piccolo barely had enough time to finish his observation before Gohan's hair began to glow yellow and stand on end. His eyes - so full of dread and anger - changed from a deep shade of black to an overwhelming teal. Gohan then charged full force at Piccolo and slammed into his chest. Piccolo was knocked breathless and staggered backwards. But Gohan wasted no time and continued his onslaught. He rammed his fist up into Piccolo's jaw and then tilted his body backwards slightly to slam his foot deep within the Namek's stomach. The force of the kick sent Piccolo flying back and was only halted when he smacked into the rock wall beside his beloved waterfall. The wall took on Piccolo's body shape - the impact leaving him embedded in the stone.

"This is what you wanted, huh?" Gohan screamed while he rose higher up into the air. "Well, you've got it!" He then brought his hands to the right of his waste and curled them around an imaginary ball. "Ka... Me..." the boy began. Piccolo's eyes widened with the realization of what was next to come. _He's going to kill me!_ Piccolo's mind screamed out. "Ha... Me..." Gohan's voice shook while more tears streamed down his cheeks and fell to the ground. The blue ball of energy formed in between his palms and shot rays of light out where his hands didn't meet. _Do it already, you coward!_ His mind shrieked_. All of this power and you refuse to use it! As you said before, what's the point of even having it at all?_ Gohan closed his eyes in a feeble attempt to block out the hurtfully true words as his lips formed around the last syllable of his attack. He was going to kill Piccolo. He was going to kill.

_Murderer. _

Something inside Gohan snapped at that moment. No, not snapped - more like collapsed in on itself. It curled up inside of his body and hid away somewhere deep. At that second, all of Gohan's energy seemed to leave his body. The ball of energy, along with his Super Saiyan features, left him in the blink of an eye. The sudden removal of energy knocked the demi-Saiyan out cold and sent his spiraling down to Earth. He landed with a loud thud on his side and didn't move any further.

Everything became silent after that. The only sound that echoed throughout the forest was that of the tranquil waterfall that fell from the cliff above and landed in the river below with an exhilarating rushing sound. Piccolo took in the sight of what had just occurred in his place of relaxation and solitude. His eyes dropped to the young, innocent, troubled teenager that lay so listlessly across the ground. After prying himself from his stony prison, Piccolo made his way over to the child, still on the defensive for whatever should happen.

**~0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~**

_It's cold_, Gohan whimpered when he felt a crisp liquid snake in all directions across his face. It seeped its way into his hair and into the shell of his ears. He was lying flat on his back with his arms at his sides. _That tickles_, Gohan thought with the slightest of smiles as gravity forced the liquid to slowly make its way through his thick, black hair and pool in his ears. Just then, more of the refreshing substance caressed his face. His smile grew a little more as the liquid softly splashed across his face again, this time running down his neck and wetting the neckline of his shirt, but he didn't care. He felt very peaceful at this moment. His body was weak - beyond lethargic - but it was a good kind of energy drain. This kind of exhaustion brought with it a deep sense of relaxation that Gohan couldn't get enough of. It was like the weight of the world had been lifted off of his shoulders.

Gohan sighed in delight as he slowly opened his eyes halfway and stared up at the cobalt sky. He chuckled to himself as the cool night breeze tousled his hair and made the liquid on his face become cold once again.

"Well, it's nice to see you smiling again." a gruff voice cut in. The sudden vocalized statement sent a wave of memories crashing through all five of Gohan's senses. He remembered the taste of tears in his mouth, the smacking sound of punches making contact, the aroma of the dirt as he lay face down on the ground, the feel of utter desperation to fight, and, most of all, he remembered everything he saw. Everything came flooding back at such an alarming rate that the demi-Saiyan thought his head might split open from trying to comprehend it all at once. His breathing quickened and his eyes darted around the small enclosure from Piccolo, to the Piccolo-shaped indent in the stone wall behind him, over to the patches of kicked-up ground, to the waterfall, and back to Piccolo. Gohan began to tremble under his re-found stress. "P-Piccolo..." Gohan sputtered, "I t-tried... I tried to..."

Piccolo noticed the alarm starting to build within the child and immediately dipped the end of his white cape back into the river and patted it across Gohan's face, remembering how it brought the child to smile just moments ago. "Gohan," Piccolo called out as calmly as possible, trying to bring the teenager back to a normal state by his soothing tone, "I think it's time we called it a day. Your mother wouldn't be too happy if you came home late again."

As Piccolo dabbed his damp cape across Gohan's face once more, it miraculously brought a halt to his shaking. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. Somehow, Gohan felt that it was going to be okay, for some reason. Something in the deep depths of his conscious told him that an outburst like the one he bestowed upon his former mentor would never happen again, so it was truly okay to relax now. It could only get better from here. "Okay." Gohan replied back in a nice even tone. He cracked open his eyes to see his friend standing with an arm outstretched. Gohan grabbed the Namek's hand and winced as he was lifted up carefully; all of the muscles in his body stretching enjoyably, proving how long he'd been lying, undisturbed, on the ground for. Gohan did a few more extra stretches before looking up at Piccolo. "Alright kid, let's go." Piccolo smiled down at him and they both jumped up into the air. Piccolo's cape rustled through the wind as he started flying in the direction that held Gohan's home, but was abruptly stopped by the sound of Gohan's voice far off. "Piccolo!" Gohan cried out, hands cupped around his mouth. Piccolo looked to where Gohan's voice was coming from and was surprised to see his former student still standing in the same spot near the waterfall. "Hurry it up, kid!" Piccolo called back down. "We can come back tomorrow, granted your mother will-"

"I can't fly!" Gohan shouted back with a voice full of panic.

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**Author's Note: **I know the story is going a little slow, but it's all building up to a certain point. I promise the pace will pick up soon. So, until next time - reviews make me happy :)


	6. Speculation

**Authour's Note: **Thank you so much to all of the reviewers! I'm glad to hear from you! One thing I have been contemplating is whether or not Goku will make an appearence in this story...

The way things are going now, I'm not sure where he'd really fit. But that's not to say I won't find a spot. Let's all just be surprised by what happens :)

Anyway, enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Dragon Ball Z :(

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Ch. 6: **S**peculation

**"The worst lies are the lies we tell ourselves. We live in denial of what we do, even what we think. We do this because we're afraid." – Richard Bach**

_Tick, tick, tick._

The analog clock that rested on the other side of the small room repeated the noise every second. Gohan lay awake in one of the guest rooms provided to him. He looked from the clock up to the ceiling and, still finding no entertainment, let out a big sigh. His head then rolled lazily to the right to look at the big machine that rested a few feet away from the bed. Long wires snaked their way out from under Gohan's shirt and connected to the annoying machine that recorded his vital signs. This machine gave off annoying sounds, as well, every time his heart jerked to life before settling back down.

It had been three hours since Gohan and Piccolo arrived at Capsule Corp. After Gohan's alarming declaration, Piccolo sought to the ground again to examine the situation. Gohan soon realized that he could no longer sense the Namek's energy level and admitted that, as well. Piccolo, unsure of what to do exactly, asked Gohan if anything else was affected. Gohan tried powering up, tried jumping high, tried forming a ki blast, and even tried flying once more – all with failing results. There was only one option left. And seeing as Gohan couldn't get off the ground, he had to be carried to the blue-haired woman's house.

Piccolo was troubled by the way Gohan seemed unaffected at this new development. Gohan appeared completely relaxed as Piccolo carried him to Capsule Corp., even fancying himself a nap on the fly over. Not once did Gohan seem apprehensive or bothered by the unfolding events. Piccolo just figured maybe he didn't want to work himself up, so he let the boy sleep.

But now, the oldest demi-Saiyan lay awake in his temporary bed at Bulma's house, hands cradling the back of his head, the faintest of smiles gracing his features. _I can't believe how good I feel_, Gohan remarked to himself, taking in a long, deep breathe and noting how the sensation seemed to fill him with bliss. _I immediately noticed it after I calmed down. This feeling… it's like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders! I'm not even tired anymore. So why am I here?_

Bulma had spent over an hour administering test after test to Gohan. When Piccolo had arrived carrying Gohan, Bulma automatically knew something was up, and after a quick explanation of the recent events, vaguely touching on the sparring session, and waking the teen from his nap, Bulma took Gohan inside to examine him. But she had no idea where to even begin. So, after countless tests, most randomly taken on the spot, Bulma eventually showed Gohan to one of the spare rooms and told him to relax. The scientist had told him to get comfy, since she had a lot of results to sift through, but Gohan knew that whatever problems the tests showed, he wouldn't want them fixed. He cracked a half smile and closed his eyes as he thought about his newfound freedom. _No more responsibilities… no more having to be depended on… no more having to be the best…_

"No more." Gohan said aloud with finality. The only answer he received was the quiet stillness of the room, the tick, tick of the clock, and the beeping of the heart monitor. Since there seemed to be no objections, his smile widened.

Gohan glanced at the clock again. It read 1:17 a.m. Two hours since Bulma had left him here. _I wonder what's taking so long,_ Gohan mentally questioned with about what the results could've shown made his curiosity peak, so Gohan decided no harm done if he got up to see what was taking Bulma so long to review the results of his examinations. He threw the blankets off, sat up, and jumped from the bed. Gohan noted how his body felt a little heavier than usual, but brushed it off.

The young demi-Saiyan inspected the monitor that recorded his vitals and, after flicking the switch to the "off" position as to not set the machine into a frenzy, began plucking the wires from his chest. He wore a long white shirt belonging to Mr. Briefs and his boxers – he was expected to fall asleep, after all.

Gohan then crept to the bedroom door. He opened it a crack and peeked out into the hallway. Since he was unable to sense anyone, he was forced to check his surroundings manually. He stuck his head out a little further and scanned the area. The dark-haired teen then made his way from the bedroom and into the hallway. He could immediately hear some voices coming from the living room and decided to head in that direction. As he got closer, he could make out that it was his mother talking._ I guess it was stupid to think no one would tell Mom_, Gohan sighed soundlessly as he made himself comfy behind a potted plant outside of the archway to the living room. He then listened in.

"- do you mean _'normal'_?" Chi-Chi exclaimed softly and shifted in her seat on the couch slightly. By their hushed voices Gohan guessed that someone nearby was sleeping… most likely Goten and/or Trunks.

"It's as I said, Chi-Chi. All of Gohan's test results came back normal." Bulma repeated.

"There must be something wrong with him! A cold, the flu, something! My baby has been reduced to a normal Earthling – that isn't normal!"

"Calm down. Everything came back clean; CT scans don't show any signs of internal injuries, blood tests don't show any kinds of abnormalities, white blood cell count is normal along with blood sugar levels, reflexes normal, mobility skills are in check..." Bulma set the paper she was reading from down onto the coffee table and rubbed her eyes.

Chi-Chi looked down at the mess of papers on the small table. They all held her first-born's physical analyses, but no diagnosis. Worry-tears sprung to her eyes, blurring her vision. She was silent, not sure of what to say. Just then, the sleeping child in her lap stirred, making her focus her attention on him for a moment. When Goten had gotten comfy once more, Chi-Chi petted his head softly as she watched him sleep, the tears now overflowing and racing down her cheeks.

After a moment, Chi-Chi looked back up at Bulma as she picked up a manila envelope and reopened it. "Something is wrong with my son, Bulma," Chi-Chi squeaked out. "Something more…"

"I know, Chi-Chi," Bulma said in a soothing tone as she took the x-ray from the envelope and held it to the light and inspected it thoroughly. "We all know. There's no way around it; Gohan has definitely changed since his fight with Cell. He's become distant, more aggressive. Not to mention the strange marks I found on his arms." She threw the x-ray and envelope onto the table in annoyed defeat. She then rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Marks?" Chi-Chi questioned.

"Scratches and dig marks all over the inside of his forearms. I asked him about them, he said they were from sparring with Piccolo."

"But I know for a fact that they weren't from me." A deep rumbling voice announced to Gohan's mother. Gohan's eyes grew wide with the realization of whom the voice belonged to. He hadn't expected Piccolo to sit in on this.

"So you're saying… Gohan is doing it." Chi-Chi whispered. She then placed a hand over her eyes as her shoulders shook and a silent sob escaped her lips.

"Let's not jump to any conclusions yet, Chi-Chi. We don't have any proof. Right now, I have him resting and I can conduct more precise examinations in the morning."

Chi-Chi wiped her eyes and sniffed, trying to regain her composure. "Give it to me straight, Bulma. What do you think is wrong with Gohan? I know you're thinking something."

Bulma was silent for a moment, thinking over her answer carefully. Then she spoke, slowly and clearly, "Whatever is ailing Gohan, I don't think it's physical."

"Not physical. So, you mean it could all be in his head?" Piccolo piped up instantly, like he already knew.

"Possibly," Bulma sighed, yawning. "Honestly, I have no idea. The medical science on Earth hasn't advanced enough yet to meet the requirements of a growing half-Saiyan. I don't know what to make of this right now. All we can hope for is that Gohan gets a good night's rest. Maybe that will change things."

Chi-Chi looked down at her youngest once more and ran her fingers through his hair. "Oh, Gohan," she mumbled to no one in particular, "What's wrong with my baby?"

Gohan crouched behind the potted plant for a moment, frozen in his own thoughts_. _He clutched at his arms, cursing himself for not being more careful to hide his injuries from Bulma. _Why is everyone so freaked about this?_ he thought. _Am I the only one who can see the good this can bring everyone?_ Gohan sighed quietly and shifted from his hiding spot.

Piccolo made his way over to one of the large windows that overlooked some of the neighbouring houses. He closed his eyes in deep concentration, trying to find some way to contact Gohan._ I don't know what's up with you lately, kid, or why you're shutting me out._ _I thought you were smarter than this._ Piccolo than opened his eyes and stared at the darkened sky as if it would somehow give him the answer. _Gohan, I will find out what is wrong with you._ _One way or another._ Piccolo's eyes then spotted the young demi-Saiyan's reflection in the window as he moved away from his hiding spot behind the plant back down the hall. _I promise._

**~0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~**

The sun shone brightly through the window above the bed, making the demi-Saiyan stir in his temporary bed. The dark-haired teen pulled the covers over his head to try and block out the harsh light of the morning. And he would've stayed that way too, if it wasn't for a sensation that made him cross his legs. Gohan quickly sat up and searched the room with his eyes, but found no bathroom. _Shit_, he cursed. He quickly hopped off the bed, faltered for a moment, then made his way to the bedroom door again. Gohan poked his head out the door, checked the hall swiftly, and tiptoed his way down the hall.

Gohan didn't want to bump into anyone and have an awkward conversation so soon in the morning, so he tried to be as quiet as possible. Gohan frantically looked for a bathroom down the hall. The three rooms he came across were either another spare room, a storage closet, or a room full of toys for Trunks. Gohan jogged in place, thinking about where the closest bathroom would be. The demi-Saiyan made his way silently into the living room area where Bulma, Piccolo, and his mother occupied hours before. It was empty now; perhaps everyone was still in bed.

The young teen made his way through the living room to the stairs where he went down two at a time. As soon as he reached the bottom, he jetted around the corner to a half-bath located a few doors down and closed the door hastily.

A few minutes later, the half-breed reemerged from the bathroom looking quite pleased. _Man, that was close_, Gohan laughed to himself. He then began the walk back to his room, hand absent-mindedly gliding against the cool walls of the Brief's home. As soon as Gohan turned the corner, he was immediately bounced backwards onto his backside. Gohan yelped and looked up at what obstacle was in his way.

"So it's true," the Prince of all Saiyans remarked with a half smirk. "The clown's half-breed is running around _my_ home in nothing but his underwear. Care to explain why?"

Gohan glared at Vegeta as he stood up slowly_. No, not now, not him! Of all people to run into, it had to be Vegeta!_ Gohan cursed.

"Well?" Vegeta called out. "I asked a question and I expect an answer."

"I'm wearing a shirt, too." came Gohan's smart aleck answer as he tried to side step the Prince of Saiyans. Bad move. Instead of just letting Gohan go, Vegeta reached for the back of Gohan's shirt, gripped a handful of it, and lifted him up so they were face to face. Gohan scowled as he tried to get down, but Vegeta's hold was firm, not faltering one bit against his struggles.

Vegeta was the last person Gohan wanted learning about his power loss. That's just what he needed, for the Prince of Saiyans finding out that a fellow Saiyan had lost his abilities. He'd never live it down.

"Indeed, you are, smart ass." Vegeta spat out, eyeing the healing wound on Gohan's forehead. His eyes then followed down to Gohan's arms, the abrasions red and healing as well. Gohan stopped and looked away from Vegeta, trying to hide his arms from view as well. Then the Prince continued, "Seeing as you seem to be so full of energy, how about a sparring session?"

"What?" Gohan gasped out.

With a smirk, Vegeta said, "Let's just see if you can keep up with me. I've been training and I want to see if you-"

"Vegeta!" a sharp voice rang out, making both Saiyans whip their heads towards the noise. There, in the doorway of the kitchen, stood Bulma wearing a long white robe, holding a mug of what smelled like black coffee in her hand. Under the arm that held the coffee was another manila envelope, probably holding more results. "What in the world do you think you're doing?" Bulma shrieked.

Gohan took this chance to escape; twisting his body around and landing on the floor, he side stepped Vegeta quickly and ran for the stairs. "Thanks, but no thanks, Vegeta. Maybe later." Gohan answered before he disappeared up the stairs. He just hoped Vegeta wouldn't follow him.

Bulma walked over to Vegeta who still had his eyes locked on the top of the stairs where Gohan had just been a moment ago. "And what was the point of that?"

"The boy is different," Vegeta answered in an unusually calm tone, "I had to see for myself."

"Different? How so?" Bulma didn't know why she hadn't thought of asking for Vegeta's help on this matter.

"I can sense something… off about him. Almost like he's holding back, but not quite." Vegeta shook his head and then began walking off.

"Wait!" Bulma called after him. Vegeta stopped and looked back at her, scowling. "I need to tell you something. Maybe you can help us."

With that, Bulma grabbed his wrist and lead him into the kitchen.

**~0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~**

Walking back to his room, Gohan stared at the floor as he thought about what just happened. _It's not good to stay here, _he decided, _Vegeta will definitely be a problem. I need to find a way to convince everyone I'm fine and get out as soon as possible._

Suddenly, two figures gripped at the young demi-Saiyan's legs, making him topple over. Gohan quickly looked at the attackers, and realizing who they were, quickly calmed down.

"We got you!" Trunks exclaimed.

Goten laughed and repeated, "Got you, got you!"

Gohan lightened up at their childish behaviours and asked, "Oh, really? And what are we playing this time?"

"We are playing that we're monsters." Trunks smiled triumphantly as he released his grip on Gohan's leg and stood up.

"And we like to eat people 'cause we monsters." Goten growled, bending his fingers to look like claws.

"So, what happens now that I'm caught?"

Trunks and Goten both looked at one another for a moment. Trunks scratched the side of his head and Goten sat on the floor and picked at his toes. "Oh, I know!" Trunks beamed after a few more moments of thinking, "Gohan's the monster now! C'mon, Goten, run!" And with that, Trunks grabbed his best friend's arm and tugged him until they both broke out into a run. Gohan laughed and began chasing them around the living room.

Just outside the house, though, in the backyard, under a tall tree, sat Piccolo. He sat Indian-style, with his arms folded tightly across his chest and his shoulders slumped forward a bit. He could hear the laughter of the children upstairs as they played their makeshift tag. Piccolo had been meditating ever since Gohan's results were revealed, trying to figure out what could be wrong. But as the mirth of the three Saiyan halfbreeds floated towards Piccolo's ears, he couldn't help but get distracted. Listening in, Piccolo noted how happy the three children seemed – especially Gohan.

_I don't understand_, Piccolo grunted_. This isn't right. Gohan shouldn't be upstairs horsing around; he should be down here explaining to me what the hell's been going on for the past couple of years. He can try and act like nothing is wrong, but I'm not buying it. He has definitely changed, and I was a fool _not_ to think he would; not after everything he's gone through._

"Run faster, Gohan!" Piccolo heard Trunks shout. "You can barely keep up with me!"

Piccolo sighed heavily. _Time to start asking questions_, Piccolo concluded as he broke from his meditation stance. He walked back into Capsule Corp. and proceeded to make his way to where he could sense Gohan and the other two. He passed by Chi-Chi and Bulma in the kitchen, ignoring their questions, the smell of an Earthling meal drifting through the air.

Piccolo ascended the stairs to the second level and immediately spotted Gohan sitting on one of the couches with the two other children standing around him. Gohan was breathing heavy and gingerly wiping sweat from his forehead, being careful not to touch his wound.

"Are you alright, Gohan?" Trunks asked. "You're already tired and we've barely started to play!"

"Go'an?" Goten questioned. Piccolo walked closer to the three. Trunks was the first to notice the Nakemian approaching.

"What's up, Green Man?" Trunks greeted nonchalantly.

"I need to talk to Gohan. Alone." Piccolo answered, looking from Trunks to Goten. Gohan knew what Piccolo wanted to talk about – but Gohan wasn't talking. If he wanted to talk to Piccolo, he would've unblocked the mental link. Now he wasn't sure if it could ever be reopened, not that he cared that much.

"There's nothing to talk about." Gohan replied, folding his arms across his chest. "Besides, I'm busy playing."

"Listen, kid, I'm not joking around."

"Neither am I."

Both friends stared one another down. Trunks and Goten looked back and forth between the Namekian and the oldest demi-Saiyan. It seemed like neither would give in, both stood their grounds.

"Boys, come downstairs! Breakfast is ready!" Chi-Chi called from the bottom of the stair case. The two youngest Saiyans' ears perked up at the mention of food and raced their way towards the stairs. Gohan stood from his spot on the couch and made his way towards the stairs as well until a hand gripped his shoulder. "We're not done yet. After you're done eating, we _will _be talking." Piccolo said.

"Stop worrying so much. I'm fine." Gohan answered as he shrugged Piccolo's hand from his shoulder and continued his walk to the stairs.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Chapter 6, complete! Not a lot happens in this one, but it begins to pick up next chapter. Also, has anyone noticed the titles of the chapters? How the first letter is always bolded? Can anyone figure out why?

Until next time!


	7. Misery

**Author's Note: **Thank you, reviewers! A few of you did guess the "mystery to the story titles" challenge. It's not that big of a deal - just keeps the readers on their toes, trying to figure out what will come next. Not really important... or will it be? Haha, well, that's really all I have to say. On to the story!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dragon Ball Z.

* * *

Ch. 7: **M**isery

"**Acting is a way of living out one's insanity." - Isabelle Huppert**

_Whisper, whisper._

Gohan could hear his mother and Bulma whispering on the other side of the kitchen as the three children ate breakfast_._ They had only been in the kitchen for 10 minutes and Gohan already felt like he needed to leave. Gohan peaked over to his mother and Bulma, only to find them looking over in his direction as well before turning back to each other to whisper some more._ How annoying_, Gohan mentally sighed as he shoveled more food into his mouth, followed by a nice cold drink of milk. Goten sat next to Gohan, and Trunks next to Goten – but they might as well have sat on the table since it seemed every three seconds both young Saiyans were standing up again and climbing on the table to grab more of the delicious meal.

Gohan couldn't take any more of the staring and the murmuring, so he decided to speak up instead. "So, Mom," he began, making both women shift their attention to him immediately, "When are we going home?" When both women just stared, not knowing what to say, Gohan gave a reason for wanting to return to his home, "I don't want to get too far behind on my studies, afterall…" Gohan knew mentioning his studies would get his mother thinking - it's no surprise that Gohan's mother could be very strict when it came to her son's education, therefore it would be the perfect excuse to leave.

Chi-Chi knit her brows together as she pondered her answer, trying to word it correctly. "Oh, Gohan," she exhaled with a soft, reassuring smile, "I'm glad you're worried about your studies, but right now I think we should focus more on getting you better. If you want, I'll run home later and grab them for you." Chi-Chi added.

"But, Mom," Gohan whined with an impatient expression, "I feel fine! Why can't we just go home?"

Chi-Chi and Bulma were quiet as they stared at Gohan, taken aback by his sudden objective behaviour. Gohan hated the way both women stared at him; he could feel their eyes trying to pry into his head to see what was wrong on the inside. But, to him, there wasn't anything wrong – not anymore._ What's everyone's problem?_ the teen mentally grunted, looking back to his plate of half eaten food. He was sick of everyone worrying over him, sick of being watched, sick of feeling like a trapped animal. _I'm happy the way I am now, but everyone's too busy trying to find a way to change me back to even notice. These people only care about themselves!_ Gohan seethed.

"Gohan?" Chi-Chi called out softly as she put her hands on Gohan's shoulders, snapping him out of his shifted his gaze around to his mother. They shared eye contact for a brief moment until Chi-Chi's eyes wandered down to her son's forearms. The Saiyan half-breed thought she was observing his old injuries for the first time up close, until he himself looked down and found his right hand fixed around his left forearm; his nails digging into his flesh. Chi-Chi lifted her hand from Gohan's shoulder and carefully raised Gohan's hand away from his arm, revealing little bloody indents in his skin.

The young teen's eyes grew wide – he hadn't even realized his self-inflicted actions. And in front of his friends and family no less. Gohan looked from his mother, to Bulma, who had made her way over to the group, to the two youngest Saiyans, and back to his mother. They were all staring _again_. It felt like their eyes were burning holes through him. Gohan started to breathe heavy, his anger rising, and his eyes narrowing at the people invading his space.

Mostly Gohan was angry at himself for giving everyone proof that something was wrong.

The demi-Saiyan stood from the table suddenly, covering his eyes with his bleeding forearm in embarrassment, and ran from the kitchen. Chi-Chi didn't move from her spot. She just continued to gaze at the chair that held her oldest child, her eyes moist, expression sad. Goten and Trunks just stood on their chairs with their mouths full, unsure of what to do. Bulma then put a hand to Chi-Chi's back and softly spoke her name. Chi-Chi straightened up at the sound of Bulma's voice, brushed imaginary dust off her clothes and said, "Well, I should get ready. Gohan wants his books to study from and… and I'll go get them." She stood frozen for what seemed like forever before Bulma lightly sat her down in the chair Gohan had occupied. Chi-Chi's hands immediately went up to her face as she sobbed into them.

"Uh, come on, kids!" Bulma instantly started shoving the two younger boys out into the backyard, "Why not go outside and play for a bit while I talk to Goten's mommy?"

Before either boy could answer, Bulma closed the door and left the two outside. It took a minute for either Saiyan half-breed to say anything at first.

"What…?" Goten asked, a little frightened.

"I think something's up." Trunks said to Goten. Goten lowered his head towards the ground and said nothing. Trunks could sense that this whole situation was upsetting his best friend. "Hey!" Trunks piped up, "Don't look so sad! Here, let's play a game. Do you wanna play tag?"

Goten nodded his head sheepishly and looked up at his friend.

"I'm sure your mom and Gohan are just in a fight, but they'll make up soon. My mom and dad always get into fights but they always get better after a little while. My mommy will make sure your mom and brother gets better, too, okay?" Trunks concluded with a reassuring smile. Goten wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand and gave a small smile. "And I'll even be _'it'_ first, kay?" Trunks added - which made Goten smile even more.

"Kay!" Goten cheered and started running from his friend.

**~0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~**

Gohan walked from the bedroom he spent the night in, dressed in yesterday's clothing. They were still dirty and grass-stained from the sparring session with Piccolo, but wearable_. If my mother won't listen to me, then I guess I'll just have to take matters into my own hands. I'm not staying here any longer._

Gohan began walking down the hallway, away from the living room. He knew of a back door located in the back stairwell. The teen didn't want to use the front door fearing that would mean having to pass the kitchen – if Bulma and his mother hadn't migrated to the front room by now.

_I just need to get out of here_, Gohan huffed as he entered the back stairwell and began his descent down the stairs. He made it to the bottom in record time. As he turned and headed for the door, he bumped into something, causing him to stumble backwards.

"You really need to watch where you're going, half-breed." A gruff voice resonated throughout the hall. Gohan looked up at the Prince of Saiyans like he saw a ghost - mouth agape, eyes wide. "As a matter of fact, where _are_ you going?" Vegeta questioned, sarcastic smirk present on his face.

Gohan straightened his posture, scowled, and answered, "Out."

"Oh. Are you bored?" the Prince interrogated as he stepped out of his path. Gohan started for the door again and answered with an absentminded, "Yeah." He just wanted to get out of that house so bad; to breathe the fresh air and feel the wind caress his face, finally experiencing the freedom he had been granted.

"In that case, let's spar." Vegeta offered as he uncrossed his arms and laid them to rest at his sides.

Gohan stopped short, hand resting on the doorknob. "I told you before. No." Gohan answered. Just then, something painful hit Gohan's back, causing him to jerk forward into the door and then fall onto his side. Gohan yelled out in pain as he scrambled to get back up. But Vegeta was quick. Just as Gohan stood, the Prince appeared behind him and sent his foot colliding into the teen demi-Saiyan's back. Gohan immediately went flying and crashed into a wall, making an indent in it that Bulma was surely not going to be happy about.

Gohan lay in a heap on the floor and made groaning noises as Vegeta stood in front of him. "I hear you're having a little malfunction with your Saiyan abilities." Vegeta scoffed. Gohan looked up from his spot on the floor; the wound on his head opened back up and blood spilled down his face. "How pathetic. To be of the Saiyan bloodline and hold no power. You would be executed on the spot if this were my home planet. Fortunately for you, your planet seems to welcome the meager with open arms, letting the weak grow weaker. _Un_fortunately for you, I don't like to follow this planet's rules that much, so I won't be patting you on the back and telling you to 'try your best.' You either straighten out, or _I'll_ straighten you out."

Gohan slowly picked himself off the floor and scowled at Vegeta. He wiped at the blood dripping from his lips with the back of his hand, seeing if Vegeta would continue his onslaught. When the pureblooded Saiyan only stood, examining the teen, Gohan then took it upon himself to test Vegeta even further. Gohan gathered the mixture of blood and spit inside his mouth, then spit the contents onto the Prince's white boots. Needless to say, Vegeta wasn't happy with this action.

Next thing Gohan knew, he was gliding through the air with a throbbing pain tearing at his cheek – only stopping when his head made contact with a huge metal door.

"You cocky little bastard." Vegeta sneered. He picked Gohan up by the front of his shirt and pushed a button on the side of the door. "You and I will fight," Vegeta informed Gohan as the door opened, "I don't know why your power has drained; I've never heard of such a thing. Either way, it is a disgrace." Vegeta then stepped inside the training room and threw Gohan onto the floor. Gohan landed with a _thud,_ face twisted with rage. "You know something we don't, half-breed. And if you refuse to spit it out, then I have no choice but to force it out." Vegeta finished.

Gohan clenched his teeth together and growled. He was so enraged that he could cry. _Damn it!_ Gohan roared psychologically. _Damn it, damn it, damn it!_ _This is bad. How did Vegeta find out? Can he sense the absence of my power…? _Vegeta got into his fighting stance, ready to strike.

"How am I supposed to fight you if I don't have any power?" Gohan inquired, standing up from his place on the floor.

"Well I suggest you either find some _or_ tell us what you know." Vegeta mocked.

"I don't know anything!" Gohan lied in a voice full of hate. Just then, Vegeta charged at the teen, knocking his feet out from under him and bringing his elbow down into his stomach. Gohan crashed into the floor, but was quickly kicked from his spot and sent flying into the opposite wall. The demi-Saiyan bounced off the wall and fell to the floor. Gohan tried to pick himself up swiftly, but fell back to his knees, clutching his stomach and gasping for breath. Vegeta wasn't merciful; he instantly rushed forward to continue his attacks.

Gohan couldn't do anything but attempt to cover himself with his arms. With one final kick, Vegeta sent Gohan crashing to the floor, cracking the tiles. The dark-haired teen lay there, trying to recuperate. Needless to say, Gohan was damaged pretty badly – and the fight had only begun. _This is insane!_ Gohan cried out in his head.

"Ready to talk yet, brat?" Vegeta called out as he hovered in the air.

"Unbelievable." Gohan laughed, slowly sitting up and groaning. Vegeta gave a questioning look at this bizarre reaction. "It's unbelievable," Gohan continued, "I mean, attacking me while fully knowing that I have no strength whatsoever. I didn't think you were _this_ much of a coward, Vegeta." Gohan laughed again. His teasing was cut short, though, as the Prince of all Saiyans drove his foot into Gohan's jaw.

"I will not be insulted by a low-class offspring!" Vegeta bellowed. Gohan coughed and rubbed his jaw. He stared daggers at Vegeta while standing from his spot.

Gohan's head began to feel fuzzy all of a sudden. And with that fuzziness also came an overwhelming pain in his forehead. The teen threw his hands up to his opened wound and applied pressure, hoping it would stop the unbearable agony. In his momentary distraction, Vegeta took it upon himself to strike the young demi-Saiyan with a blow to the back of the head, causing him to topple forward.

"So, how 'bout it, brat? Talk!" Vegeta bellowed as he charged up an attack in his hands.

Gohan could take it no longer. The throbbing of his forehead made it unbelievably difficult to concentrate on the Prince – his form seemed to split in two – but Gohan did his best to lock onto him. He slowly stood once more, enraged beyond all reason, and held his temples. His head felt like it was going to explode and he could feel himself slowly slipping into unconsciousness. He swayed slighty, his body feeling incredibly heavy and off balance.

"Last chance!" Vegeta announced as he took off, flying towards Gohan at top speed with a big purple ball of energy poised just above his palm, ready to strike.

Gohan wanted it to stop. For it to all stop. For all of it to go away and never return.

"I'm glad they're gone!" The troubled teen shrieked. His screech resonated throughout the training room, bouncing off the walls and coming back to his own ears. Vegeta stopped in his tracks, the ball of energy dissipating. The pureblooded Saiyan brought his hands up to cover his ears as his face scrunched into an agonized expression.

Gohan continued to yell until it felt like the whole building was shaking. But then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped. Gohan's voice came to an abrupt halt, his eyes wide and unfocused and his mouth agape. He then fell forward onto his stomach.

After a few moments, Vegeta finally descended next to the demi-Saiyan and rolled him over onto his back. "He's out cold…" Vegeta commented as he looked Gohan over. "His power is still in there somewhere. No weak person could make the whole damn place tremble using just their voice. But why, then, is it concealed?"

**~0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~**

"He said that?" Bulma questioned, letting her anger subside for a moment. She was standing in front of a closed door, her arms folded, looking very irritated at a certain Saiyan. She wasn't the only one, though – Piccolo, along with the two younger Saiyans, were standing around, wondering what in the world happened.

"My actions weren't in vain, Woman. You instructed me to try and find out more information from the boy and I did. His power is obviously still there, just not active. If he was holding back purposely, he would've attacked me, but all he could do was scream at me. Damn brat almost busted my ear drums." Vegeta scoffed as he looked at the closed door. "Instead of his 'hidden power' coming _out_, it's like it reversed and, instead, drew his power _in_."

"And he said he was glad they were gone? _'They'_ meaning his powers?" Piccolo queried. Vegeta looked at Piccolo from the corner of his eye before turning his head towards him.

"Yes, Namek, that's what I said."

Bulma sighed heavily at her husband's ill-manners. She turned around and headed towards her lab. The two children followed Bulma without hesitation. Piccolo didn't want to be left alone with the spoiled Prince, so he followed Bulma as well. Vegeta just watched them go for a moment before he looked around at the empty hall. Vegeta then grimaced at how this whole situation seemed to weigh on his mind. _Lousy half-breed,_ Vegeta frowned in annoyance. He then gave a _hmph_ as he put his hands on his hips, and trailed after the group. _Can't believe I'm wasting my time on the clown's brat._

When Vegeta arrived in the room that proved Bulma's superior mind, he found her sitting in a chair at a computer, going over some things with the Namekian. Just then, Trunks rushed over to his father, holding Goten by the hand. Trunks made eye contact with the Prince, but tugged on his hand nonetheless.

"Dad?" Trunks asked.

"What is it?" Vegeta answered.

"Goten wants to know if you killed Gohan. I told him you didn't, but he doesn't believe me."

Vegeta tilted his head a little to get a better look at Goten. His head was bent slightly towards the ground with silent tears racing down his face and into his blue t-shirt. Vegeta rolled his eyes and gave an irritated groan.

"I did not kill your brother." Vegeta said slowly, without looking at Goten. Goten looked up to Vegeta, but did not stop crying.

"He wants to go see Gohan. Mom said not to, but Goten really wants to make sure he's alright." Trunks informed his father.

"I don't care." Vegeta answered, not really paying attention anymore. Vegeta then made his way over to Bulma and Piccolo, but kept his distance.

"C'mon, Goten. Let's go see your brother." Trunks smiled as he tugged Goten along. Goten wiped at his tears, trying to cheer up some, and began running down the hall with his best friend. When they arrived outside the closed door, Goten was the first one to grab for the doorknob. He then turned and held a finger to his lips, motioning Trunks to be quiet.

Goten slowly turned the knob and cracked the door open a few inches. He peered inside, noting how dark the room was. The youngest demi-Saiyan squinted his eyes as he scanned the room, looking for his brother. The window curtains had been drawn, closing out the mid-day sun and leaving it pleasantly dark in the room.

"Come on, Goten. Go in!" Trunks exclaimed softly and nudged Goten inside the room. Trunks slipped inside and immediately took the lead, guiding his friend towards the bed that held his brother. But as they approached, both demi-Saiyans could see the teen stirring his bed. Trunks looked at Goten before they continued inching towards Gohan. As they got closer, they could see the bandages surrounding Gohan's various limbs, obviously put there by Bulma. Gohan stirred again, this time with greater intensity. Goten and Trunks raced to the side of Gohan's bed to see what that the problem was, but all they came upon was Gohan sleeping. He mumbled a few things as he stirred again, lightly swaying his head side to side.

"Maybe he havin' a bad dream?" Goten questioned, turning to Trunks with worry obvious in his features. Gohan mumbled louder, sweat now glistening on his cheeks and the tiny area below the bandages covering his forehead.

"Ya think we should wake him up?" Trunks questioned back, noticing how Gohan's breathing was getting heavier. Both demi-Saiyans just watched as the dark-haired teen twitched and shifted roughly in the bed. His grip tightened and untightened on the blankets that covered his body. He clenched and unclenched his teeth, his face grimacing. "No!" Gohan finally gasped out. At that sound of distress, Goten immediately began shaking his big brother, trying desperately to wake him up.

"Wake up, Go'an! Wake up!" Goten called out. "It's okay, you just asleep!"

Gohan's eyes snapped open and he instantly sat up, knocking Goten over into Trunks and causing them both to fall to the ground. Gohan frantically looked around at his environment as he placed a hand on his head and tried to steady his breathing.

Goten picked himself up from his spot on the floor, happy to see his brother all right. "Gohan!" he called out with a smile.

Although, the feeling was not mutual for Gohan. Seething, most likely from his recent dream, Gohan scowled at his younger brother, making him take a step back. "What are you doing in here?" Gohan growled.

Goten just stared at Gohan, his smile vanishing only to be replaced by an expression of confusion.

"Can't I have some time to myself?" Gohan exclaimed. "Why does someone have to be around me at all times? Just leave me alone!" Gohan screeched, causing both Sayain toddlers to stand up straight and look at each other. They've never seen Gohan so angry, especially at themselves. They were dumbfounded.

"Go'an?" Goten piped up softly as he reached his hands towards his big brother. But Gohan immediately answered, taking the same tone of voice.

"Get out! Get out! I hate you, don't you get it? Go away! I never wanna see you again!"

With those words, Goten's heart shattered into a thousand pieces. His eyes watered and tears streamed down them. Goten turned away and ran out of the room, Trunks following close behind, calling his name.

Goten ran down the hall towards Bulma's lab, sobbing loudly all the way. Before he even entered the room, Bulma stepped through the door, apparently hearing the commotion. But suddenly, Chi-Chi stepped through the doorway as well, instantly crouching down to catch her son in her arms. She rubbed her child's back and she shushed him softly, however her expression clearly showed her concern. Chi-Chi stood up and looked at Bulma.

"What happened while I was gone?" Chi-Chi questioned, raising her voice a little.

"Well, you see, Vegeta and Gohan -" Bulma began.

"Gohan was asleep and he was havin' a bad dream -" Trunks started his own explanation, talking at the same rate as his mother.

" – little scuffle -"

" – wanted to wake him up -"

" – got hurt pretty bad -"

" – just snapped! And yelled at -"

" – bandaged him up -"

" – started crying -"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Chi-Chi exclaimed, worriedly. She then looked from mother to son, and then asked with a troubled look, "What happened to Gohan?"

Chi-Chi began rushing towards the direction the two boys had come from, Bulma and Trunks not far behind. When she came upon the first open door, she barged in, automatically calling her eldest son's name, and looked around.

But there was no child in this room.

There was a bed, the blankets half hanging off, showing that there was once a person occupying it. And there was also an open window, the curtains fluttering in the breeze.

An open window. A window that had been previously closed.

"Gohan?' Chi-Chi called out once more.

"Chi-Chi," Bulma said fearfully, "That window was closed before."

Chi-Chi automatically knew what that meant. She jetted from the room, back down the long hall towards Bulma's lab. "Piccolo!" Chi-Chi implored. "Vegeta! Quick, Gohan's missing!" Chi-Chi entered the lab, eyes wet, and looked towards Piccolo.

"What do you mean he's missing?" Piccolo questioned.

"He must've jumped out the window," Bulma answered as she entered the room. "We _are_ only on the first floor, it wouldn't be that hard."

"So the brat is making a break for it, huh?" Vegeta smirked. "This should be interesting."

* * *

**Author's Note: **I feel like this chapter didn't turn out all that well. It certainly is the longest chapter yet, but... I don't know. It just doesn't flow right to me. Well, let me know what you think - because it will be _very _much appreciated, good or bad!


	8. You

**Author's Note: **Getting down to the nitty-gritty now. This is definitely not one of my better chapters, but hopefully you guys will forgive me.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Dragon Ball Z. Akira Toriyama does.

* * *

Ch. 8: **Y**ou

"**We can never turn back the pages of time, though we may wish to relive a happy moment, or say goodbye just one last time, we never can, because the sands of time continue to fall, and we can't turn the hourglass over." – Unknown**

_A cape rustling in the breeze was the only sound heard._

Neither one of the men talked, they just scoured the area, looking for the missing boy. They flew high above in the air. Anyone on the in the city could have mistaken them for birds.

"I don't see why I had to tag along," the Prince of all Sayains pouted, "It's not like the boy can put up a fight."

"It makes Chi-Chi feel better if the two of us are on the lookout for Gohan. Besides, would you want to be back there, listening to her ranting?" Piccolo asked.

"Good point." Vegeta grimaced.

"I didn't realize sensing Gohan would be this difficult, though."

"Yes, it seems we can't even sense his power level. It's like he's just a normal Earthling with a normal energy signal. He should be around this area, though. He couldn't have gotten too far."

Down on the ground, about a mile from where the two aliens were flying, a certain demi-Saiyan weaved in and out of backyards and from behind bushes. He tiptoed his way passed someone's front yard and, upon seeing a good resting spot, took refuge behind their shed.

Gohan crouched on the ground as he tried to catch his breath. He rub at the sweat leaking down his face, most of it being absorbed by the bandages wrapped tightly around his forehead, arms, and other various parts.

_Shit, _Gohan cursed, _I can barely walk, let alone run. My body feels like it weighs a ton. Am I getting weaker – _

"Excuse me, young man," a voice called out just a few feet away, snapping Gohan out of his thoughts, "Are you all right?"

Gohan looked up from his spot on the ground and met the eyes of an old woman. Her gray hair was pulled back into a tight, but messy, bun. She wore a worrisome expression directed at the teen runaway.

"Oh, uh, yes. I'm fine, ma'am." Gohan sputtered breathlessly, embarrassed at being caught sneaking around in some stranger's backyard.

"You're all bandaged up. Where did you come from? Where is your mom? Or you dad?"

Gohan looked down at his legs for a moment. He tried to stay away from those haunting thoughts, but since that dream he had only an hour before, Gohan's mind couldn't help but wander. "My father…" he croaked out.

Gohan wasn't sure of what to do next. Certainly he couldn't tell this woman the truth, so he had no choice. "I'm sorry!" Gohan quickly said as he jumped up and bowed slightly. He then took off running again, leaving the old woman in her yard, asking him to wait and that she'll call for help.

Gohan tried his hardest to keep his balance as he ran. His body felt wrecked and weak beyond comprehension. He tried looking for another place to rest – a place where no one would bother him. Although, most of the places he ran by now had fences built around their yards. Gohan had no choice but to keep running; stopping on the streets would only mean leaving himself open, and he was sure Piccolo, and maybe even Vegeta, were not far behind. So the teen ran, blindly, on the streets, all the eyes of the people staring at him as he ran by. Gohan felt like everyone staring at him knew, too. They all knew.

They knew he was weak. They knew he was to blame. Gohan started feeling hot and cramped in the crowd of people. Their eyes all gave off the same messages.

"Failure."

"Weakling."

"How could you do it?"

"Why are you still around? Why aren't _you_ dead?"

With every glimpse, every fleeting look, Gohan registered their gazes as nothing more than insults and verbal offensive. And to him, they were all true.

"Freak."

"Liar."

Gohan ran and ran, weaving in and out of the crowds of people, trying to outrun everyone, everything. Just to get away. He then had a strange sense of déjà vu as he weaved and darted, trying to get away from his thoughts.

_I'm worthless! I'm weak! How could I still be alive when it's my Father who rightfully deserves that luxury! Even when I had the power, all I could ever do was mess everything up! _Gohan's eye's filled with angry tears. _Even my body knows I don't deserve the power I was given, that's why it took it away!_

Just then, Gohan tripped over his own foot and fell with a _thud_, scraping his chin as he skidded to a halt. Gohan desperately began scrambling to his feet until he felt hands on his shoulders.

"Woah, woah there, buddy. I got'cha." A voice called out coolly. Gohan's head snapped up to see who the invading figure was.

The sun reflected off of the short man's bald head and the red sunglasses he wore fell down his nose slighty, revealing his kind, and troubled, eyes.

"Krillin?" Gohan gasped out.

"It's alright, kid." Krillin answered back with a small smile. Gohan looked from Krillin, to the group of people that surrounded him. His gaze dropped as he shifted uneasily. Krillin noticed how the other people were making Gohan uncomfortable, so he helped Gohan to his feet, turned him away from the crowd, and forced him to walk forward.

Gohan didn't say anything as they made their way down the sidewalk. He just hung his head low, bangs covering his eyes, and proceeded onward. Gohan seemed comatose as the two warriors left the puzzled crowd behind and sauntered down the street.

Before long, Krillin turned the duo into an alleyway that looked old and abandoned, like no one had been down it in years. He sat Gohan on the ground next to an old dumpster, out of sight. Krillin then took his seat right next to the teen.

"So, where were you heading to, buddy?" Krillin asked nonchalantly. When Gohan didn't answer, or even make an attempt to make Krillin's presence known, Krillin snapped his fingers in front of Gohan's face a few times. Gohan's eyes opened wider and he blinked a few times, finally realizing someone else was around.

"Everything all right, Gohan?" Krillin asked with an eyebrow cocked.

After a few moments, Gohan replied with an emotionless, "Everything's fine."

"Doesn't sound fine to me." Krillin contradicted. Gohan kicked at a piece of broken brick, really not wanting to talk about things right now, especially not to Krillin. Krillin hadn't done anything wrong, and Gohan would only end up getting angry if he talked now. But Krillin waited patiently for Gohan to answer, eyeing the dark-haired demi-Saiyan like he was someone he had never met before.

"Things just… haven't been going well." Gohan finally exhaled.

"I can tell. You're beat up pretty bad." Krillin laughed a little, trying to relieve the tension. Gohan just picked up a nearby chunk of concrete and looked it over in his hands. Gohan remained silent, so Krillin decided to ask something else. "Have you tried talking to anybody?"

"Nobody wants to listen even if I do talk. They just want 'what's best for me.' They don't care what I think."

"I'm sure that's not true. Everyone's just worried about you, Gohan. You're different since your fight with Cell, and we just want to make sure you're okay."

"But I'm fine, Krillin," Gohan insisted, "I'm so sick of telling everybody that I'm okay!"

"Hey, hey, easy, pal. I'm on your side, remember? I'm just trying to keep my promise to your dad and make sure you're safe and sound."

Gohan became hushed at that. He wasn't going to talk anymore - he just wanted to enjoy his time outside now. He enjoyed the way the wind caressed his face, reminding him of when he would soar through the air on cool days like today. Gohan closed his eyes and leaned his head back to rest on the brick wall.

After a few moments, Gohan whispered to no one in particular, "I'm so tired. I could just sleep forever."

"I can tell you are." Krillin replied. Then it was silent between the two. Krillin thought that Gohan had fallen asleep. He searched the sky for a few moments before locating his target and gave a little nod.

Gohan's eyes snapped open when the sound of feet hitting the ground floated to his ears. The demi-Saiyan whipped his head towards that direction – and was mortified to see the two men he was currently fleeing from. Krillin stood up and nodded again towards Piccolo. "I got Bulma's call; she explained everything to me." Krillin quickly clarified to both men.

"She was right to. You got to him quicker, and less conspicuously, then we would have." Piccolo answered solemnly.

"Krillin?" Gohan feebly whispered as he, too, stood and began backing away from the group. The alley ended a little ways away, which meant Gohan was trapped. "Krillin, I thought you said you were on _my_ side!" Gohan said in a shaky voice.

"I am on your side, Gohan," Krillin replied with a compassionate look, "We _all_ are. Piccolo and Vegeta are only here to help you, not hurt you. We just want to help."

"No! Get away!" Gohan shouted.

"Krillin, Vegeta, you guys go. I'll handle this." Piccolo informed.

"Are you sure?" Krillin asked.

"Yeah. You two head back to Capsule Corp. Let them know we found Gohan and that he's with me."

"Hmph, whatever." Vegeta accepted. "I did my share of dealing with the brat. Now it's your turn." And with that, Vegeta powered up and took to the skies. Krillin gave one final glance at Gohan, whose face portrayed nothing but loathing towards the ex-Buddhist. Krillin gulped, spun around, and followed after the Prince.

Piccolo and Gohan stared at one another. Gohan knew that this was it. He had to give in. He felt too drained to put up any kind of fight. Gohan took in some air, trying to steady himself before he fell over in defeat. "Alright," Gohan muttered as he hung his head low with regret, shame, and failure, "I won't fight anymore."

"You'll cooperate then?"Piccolo questioned, feeling a sense of relief that his former student was finally giving in. Gohan just nodded his head slightly in response. Piccolo walked towards Gohan and put a hand on his shoulder. They both gazed at one another. Although, Gohan could barely keep his eyes open; they were half open and descending fast. Piccolo noted how feeble the teen looked. It looked like if Piccolo even moved Gohan from his spot that he would just shatter into pieces.

Piccolo was scared. He could sense it – sense Gohan's energy depleting. Even as his hand rested on the shaking shoulder of his most cherished friend, he could feel Gohan's energy signal slowly decreasing. _At this rate, he won't last… _Piccolo concluded fearfully.

Gohan suddenly fell forward, but was caught by the arms of his former mentor who hoisted the unconscious teen off his feet in one fluid movement. Piccolo then took to the skies, flying fast. We still need answers, Piccolo growled in his head. _Hopefully Gohan will spill it and then I can get him back to Bulma's… if she's even figured anything out_.

**~0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~**

The cool breeze caressed the young Saiyan's face. He peeked out from under his eyelids and saw the darkening blue of the evening sky. His body felt stiff as he tried to sit up. He wondered why he was outside, even after he surrendered to Piccolo. _I thought I'd be going back to Capsule Corp._

"Have a nice nap?" Piccolo asked from his spot high up in the air. Gohan spotted the Namekian and eyed him with a questioning look. That's when Gohan noticed exactly where he was – he was perched high above on a stony butte, similar to the one he was stuck on many years ago. Gohan carefully crawled to one edge and peeked over. It was a long way down; Gohan gulped and backed up slowly.

"Why am I here?" Gohan demanded, speech slightly mumbled.

"I said we were going to talk. I brought you here so there's no chance of you escaping again." Piccolo responded. Gohan just rolled his eyes and leaned back, using his arms to support his weight. "This is serious, Gohan!" Piccolo chastised.

"What do you wanna know?" Gohan growled. This situation was already starting off bad.

"Everything. I want to know what's been going on. And we're not leaving here until every last detail has been explained."

"Everything, huh?" Gohan repeated as he lazily rolled his head to the left, breaking eye contact with the Namek. He clicked his tongue absent-mindedly, not totally ready to give in to Piccolo's demands. The Namekian didn't wait long, though.

"Well?" he snapped at Gohan.

"Well, what?" Gohan barked. "Why does everyone feel the need to interrogate me? I don't stick my nose into your business, so why should you?"

"You became my business the moment I started training you." That statement only managed to fuel the fire within Gohan. Bringing up the memories of when he was younger, and certainly happier, made Gohan realize just how miserable his life had become. It seemed fate only wanted the first ever demi-Saiyan to endure nothing but pain and misery. It first gave him a home with loving parents and friends. And then it stripped that all away, leaving him cold and vulnerable.

"All of you make me sick!" Gohan shouted as he wobbled to his feet and stared the Namekian in the eyes. "You all pretend to care for me when all you wanna do is torture the living hell out of me!" Piccolo was about to interject, but Gohan just kept on going, "You really want to know what's been going on? You should already know! I'm a failure as a warrior and a failure as a son! I couldn't even protect the Earth right! My father was the one who had to step in and clean up the mess I made - with his own life! I might as well have killed my father seeing as it's my fault he's dead! All I was ever able to do was be a burden to everyone and everything. Even you had to give your own life to save me when we fought Nappa! I'm weak and pathetic and I'll never be able to be the hero my father was. I cursed myself every day after my fight with Cell; I cursed my very soul to hell! Saiyan heritage is meaningless if the warrior doesn't know how to use it. How pathetic – to be of the Saiyan bloodline and hold no power," Gohan quoted Vegeta, "I hold no purpose in this world. If anyone should've died at the Cell Games it should've been _me_!" Gohan then desperately looked at his surroundings before making a split-second decision – he turned his back to the Namek and sprinted his way towards the edge of the butte. Without hesitating, Gohan leapt from the stony structure and began plummeting towards the ground hundreds of feet below.

Of course, his plunge didn't last long. Piccolo snatch the troubled teen up by the back of his torn, blood-stained, dirty shirt. "Are you _insane_?" Piccolo gasped in disbelief at what his former student just tried to perform.

"Just let me go." Gohan called out in a strained voice, tears staining his dirt-smudged face.

"You should know better than to think that this is the way to solve your problems."

"I'm a failure." Gohan mumbled, not listening to what his former mentor had to say.

"Gohan, you have to listen to me. The things you're thinking are wrong. You're not a failure and you're certainly not the reason why Goku died. Your father gave up his life, willingly, so you and everyone else on Earth could go on living. What would he say if he saw how you were acting now?" Gohan didn't answer. He just silently let his tears fall from his face and descend to the ground below. "You've had it rough, escpecially in the last few years. I'm sorry I hadn't noticed sooner how badly it was affecting you." Piccolo apologized as he floated back on top of the stone structure and lowered them both onto its smooth surface. "We always knew you weren't much of a fighter. You were so much more gentler, more innocent then the rest of us, but we relied on you to fight anyway. And never once had you let any of us down."

Piccolo released his grip on Gohan's shirt and Gohan instantly fell to his knees. "I-I can't do it. I'm too weak…"

"You are not weak," Piccolo growled, "You don't believe in yourself. You constantly put yourself down, constantly picking and picking away until finally your body gives you what you want, just so you can have some piece of mind. Well, now you got what you want – your body is slowly eating away at your energy, consuming it all until there's nothing left. And can you tell me what happens when you have no energy left?" Piccolo inquired. When Gohan still was silent, Piccolo answered for him. "You really _will_ die. Is that what you want? Do you want to throw away the life your father died for?"

The ground under Gohan's head was wet. Gohan breathed deeply in and out, trying to catch the breath he hadn't even lost. His stomach did flips and he was almost certain he was going to upchuck his breakfast from this morning, seeing as it was the only thing that he ate. Gohan managed to gasp out, "I c-can't…"

"Yes you can. You've lost your ambition. You've lost your inspiration to be who you are. _You_ just need to find your purpose in life. Everything in life is left up to _you_." Piccolo lifted Gohan's face up to meet his own. "You have to stop believing in what you can't do, and start trusting in what you can."

Seeing the hurt eyes of his closest friend sent another wave of guilt crashing through the demi-Saiyan. Gohan choked out another sob. "I-I w-want to go h-home…" Gohan pleaded. "I told y-you what you want-ted to know. Now t-take me home."

Piccolo scooped Gohan up in his arms once more and departed for Bulma's home.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Ending is very cheap and very abrupt. I'm sorryy. But now we've come to a very important part in the story. And I'm not going to tell you how many chapters are going to be in this story, but I will tell you that we are more than halfway done.

Please keep reviewing, even if you hate it. Tell me what you hate about it, if you hate how I wrote something or even if you're just bored with it. Thank you!


	9. Help

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the late update. I had a super busy weekend and didn't get to relax until Sunday night. And I was going to wait until this weekend to post, but I figured, why torture? So, here you go!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Dragon Ball Z.

* * *

Ch. 9: **H**elp

"**I am nothing more than; A little boy inside; that cries out for attention; yet I always try to hide" – Epiphany by Staind**

_Sniff, sniff._

Chi-Chi tried her best to keep herself under control. Although, anyone in her position would have already lost it by now. Everyone was gathered at the Son's house; it was Gohan's request to go home first thing in the morning. Bulma sat at the kitchen table with Chi-Chi and Krillin. Piccolo sat outside the house, curled up in his meditative state. Everyone seemed to be in a mourning mindset already, even though no one had died. The only two who weren't prematurely grief-stricken were the two youngest demi-Saiyans who stayed outside the Son household. Both children stood around, puzzled by the current situation. They didn't fully understand why they were suddenly taken to this house instead of Capsule Corp so early in the morning.

Goten sat on the ground, picking at some grass while Trunks stared absentmindedly into the trees surrounding his best friend's home. "Hey, Goten," Trunks uttered, immediately getting Goten's attention, "Why do you think we came here instead?" This warranted a solemn shrug from the youngest demi-Saiyan. "I thought Gohan was sick… And my mom was trying to make him get better…"

Both youngsters didn't know what to make of the move. No one would tell them anything – simply to "go outside and play while we talk." Trunks just rolled his eyes in annoyance at the lack of information and fell backwards on the grass next to Goten. It didn't take Goten long before he followed suit; laying on his back and staring up at the sky. Their bodies fell at angles and creating a triangle-like shape.

Trunks closed his eyes and smelled the fresh air that was always so much cleaner up in the mountains then down in the city where he lived. Everything was quiet around the Son residence. Much too quiet. And both boys could feel the melancholy tension all too well, which frightened them even more. They could feel that something was wrong, and not even Trunk's Mommy could fix it.

As Trunks thought, he found it easy to slip into a slight nap. That state in which you are not completely sleeping, but you are not completely awake. But the next thing he knew, Goten was shaking and jostling the royal offsrpring. "Trunks," Goten whispered, still wriggling his friend, "Wake up, Trunks!"

Trunks's eyes snapped open and directed their attention towards his friend, who now looked distraught instead of just uncaring. "I juss' can't take it anymore!" Goten cried softly. Piccolo was only a few meters away and Goten didn't want to disturbed his "nap". "I know som'ting is wrong with my mommy and Go'an. Som'ting bad, Trunks!"

"I know, Goten," Trunks answered gravely, putting his arms behind his head, "But what can we do?"

"I got an idea." Goten replied with determination clear in his voice.

**~0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~**

Back inside the house, Chi-Chi dabbed at her face with a tissue. No one had really moved to do anything. They were basically all playing the "waiting game" now. That is, all but one. "Are we just going to sit here and do nothing?" a gruff voice growled. Everyone at the table turned towards the voice, expressions not faltering from their grim appearances. When no one said anything, the Prince audibly growled in his throat and uncrossed his arms. "So the little twerp gets what he wants, is that it? We just sit here and watch as your disgraceful son wallows in his self-pity and miserably _dies_?"

Chi-Chi's face scrunched together, her eyes watering at the actuality of hearing the words "son" and "dies" in the same sentence. Bulma quickly jumped to her feet and made her way over to her friend. She embraced the crying mother of two as she yelled, "What is wrong with you, Vegeta?" Her voice was shaky and her eyes were also wet with oncoming tears. "Don't you think we know what's going on?" Vegeta just stood in the corner of the kitchen with a scowl plastered on his face. "What else are we supposed to do? Gohan is choosing this for himself. We've already tried talking to him – for Christ's sake, you managed to kick the shit out of him pretty good, and where did that leave us then? You aren't helping that much either, you know." Bulma cried. She then rested her cheek against Chi-Chi's head and looked helplessly to her husband as she soothingly stroked her fingers through her friend's hair. The obvious despair his wife was portraying towards the Prince struck a chord within him. He reacted to this emotion by growling in defeat and turning away from the group of people.

"Krillin," Chi-Chi abruptly called out to the silent warrior, "Please, tell me, how is he now?"

Krillin sat wide-eyed for a split-second before realizing what had been asked. He glanced down at the table in concentration before answering. "I think he's still sleeping."

"You know that's not what I meant." Chi-Chi snapped, causing Krillin to visibly flinch. The human warrior decided to tell her what she really wanted to know.

"It's still diminishing." Krillin said grimly.

"How long?"

That was something he really hoped the grieving mother wouldn't ask. But he gave in to her questions, nonetheless. "A few hours… Three, four at the most." More tears fell from both Chi-Chi and Bulma, although Chi-Chi broke loose from Bulma's hold and raised herself from her seat. "I'm going to talk to him." Chi-Chi informed the group. She then took her leave towards her son's bedroom.

**~0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~**

"We're gonna do _what_?" Trunks exclaimed as the two boys sat outside on the grass. Goten shushed the older child and motioned with his hand to keep it down. Trunks had taken a slight leaning position with his legs flung out in front of his body and his arms supporting his upper half.

"The Dragon Balls," Goten repeated, "My mommy told me 'bout 'em. If you get all five… or was it seven? Yeah, seven! If you get all seven then you can make a wish!" Goten explained with a serious tone.

"Make a wish?" Trunks questioned. "Wait, wait, wait, how do you know your mom wasn't just telling you a story?"

"No! This was a _real_ story. I'll prove it - wait right here, don't move." Goten waited a second more to make sure Trunks stood his ground, then leapt from his kneeling position and jogged towards the tiny, shed-like structure that was Goku's first home. Goten pushed the door open and walked into the miniature house with the pointed roof and disappeared into the darkness. Trunks sat fully erect, his impatient nature shining through as he waited for his friend to get back. It was only a few moments that Goten was gone, but to a child, it seemed like forever.

When Goten finally re-emerged, Trunks immediately jumped to his feet instead of waiting for the young demi-Saiyan. He could clearly see something shining in his hands and was instantly interested in seeing what had Goten all fired up.

"See!" Goten said to Trunks, holding his left hand out at full length, palm turned upward. Trunks stared down at the circular object. Its colour was that of a rising sun, gleaming with the most magnificent yellow-orange hue Trunks had ever seen. His eyes were drawn to the four stars that were frozen deep within the center of the orb. Trunks's eyes lit up with an intense awe. "This is a Dragon Ball," Goten informed.

"Where'd you get it?" Trunks questioned as he looked upwards at Goten, then back down at the ball.

"My mommy show'd it to me after Go'an yelled at me. He told me there was _no_ wishes," Goten shook his head, "Then he made me cry. And when Go'an leaved with Pic'lo, mommy took me to the shed and show'd the Dragon Ball to me. She say it was my daddy's favourite one and that one of his friends gave the ball to my mommy to keep since my daddy lives in Heaven." Then Goten leaned in and whispered to Trunks, "My mommy told me not to touch it when she not around, so don't tell."

Trunks shook his head. "I won't." He promised, the thought of tattling on his best friend seeming like the biggest betrayal in the world.

"So, this is what we lookin' for. If we can get all five… seven," he corrected himself, "Then I can make a wish. I can wish that everything was back to normal and that everyone was happy again and that Go'an wasn't sick. And make it so Go'an doesn't hate me anymore." Goten said solemnly.

"But how are we gonna find them all?" Trunks pondered, scratching the top of his head as he thought.

"It can't be d'at hard! I aw'eady checked my house, they aren't there. But juss' look at it! I could spot it about a bazillion steps away!" Trunks eyed the glorious sphere for a moment more before coming to the conclusion that Goten was right. He sharply nodded his head with a big smile upon his face.

"Let's do it!" Trunks agreed. The two shook hands and gave each other determined expression to lock in their deal.

**~0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~**

Chi-Chi tiptoed her way into her son's room. She made her way over to his desk, quietly pulled out the chair, and placed it next to her first-born's bed. Gohan lay still under the blankets, his head turned toward the wall away from his mother. Chi-Chi took to just sitting for a little while, watching her beautiful boy sleep, just like she used to when he was an infant. She thought back to the days where feeding and changing him were the only things to worry about. Since Gohan was Chi-Chi's first-born, there was a lot to be learned. But not only did Chi-Chi have the pleasure of teaching her son, she also took great pleasure in Gohan teaching her things, as well; what she loved most of all, was the fact that he taught her the true meaning of being a mother. Chi-Chi never told anyone, but she always felt like the third wheel in their family. Gohan was so much like Goku, but his own person at the same time. She never really felt like she could connect to her son the way Goku did, which made her feel a little jealous when they'd do so many activities together, usually excluding her. But nevertheless, she loved her family and the life she had been dealt. She loved her son greatly, both of them. And she hated to see anything happen to either of them.

But something _was _happening. Her first-born was dying. He was choosing death instead of remaining on Earth with his friends and family. That fact made Chi-Chi's heart sink with shame. She felt as though she had failed as a mother – and if this is how Gohan turned out to be, then what would that make of Goten? Would her youngest suffer the same fate? Would she fail him, too? "Gohan…" Chi-Chi called out softly. Her voice shook with the agony her heart felt.

But he did not answer. For a moment, Chi-Chi began to panic, thinking it was too late and that her son was already gone. But then she noticed the blankets on his chest steadily rise and then fall. She sat back in her seat and buried her face in her hands; she couldn't go on like this. She had to do something, get her word in, even if it didn't make things better. At least she could say that she tried and didn't just let her son die.

"Gohan." She called a little more sharply. This made the teen stir slightly. He rolled his head to the left lazily and tried to focus on whoever disturbed his sleep. When his eyes finally allowed the shapes to merge into one form, he found he was looking at the pale, fragile appearance of his mother. Without hesitating, the demi-Saiyan looked away. "Gohan, you look at me when I'm talking to you." Chi-Chi said sternly. Gohan turned back to his mother, a little surprised she'd be using such a reprimanding tone in his condition. "Gohan," Chi-Chi started, wiping her eye with the back of her hand, "My baby boy." Chi-Chi gave her son the warmest smile she could muster up, thinking of what to say. Finally, a question came to mind and she spoke without thinking much."Are you hungry?" Chi-Chi gave a breathless laugh as soon as those words left her mouth. She knew her son hadn't eaten since yesterday morning, but at a time like this, there was much more that needed to be said.

Gohan blinked slowly. His energy was completely sapped. He was lucky he could move at all. Not being able to talk, or even think clearly, he had no choice but to listen.

"You need to fight." Chi-Chi spoke out, like she was telling Gohan he needed to try harder on his studies. "You need to fight this. You have the power, I know you do."

Gohan just lay in his bed trying his best to gather enough energy to say something, but to no avail. "You know I can't just let you die without doing something," his mother confessed. "And I know you have it in you to stop this. You are Goku's son after all." Gohan turned away from his mother at this point. "Baby, I know you're hurt about your father leaving us - believe me, we all are. But that's no reason to throw your life away. You are the strongest, most courageous boy I have ever known – and I'm proud to call you my son. Please, don't take that away from me…" Chi-Chi sobbed, her voice taking on a higher pitch with every word. A lone tear slipped from the teen's eye, unseen by his mother. "You have so much to live for, so much life to experience. How do you think I feel, Gohan? I lost a husband that day! But you know what? I have two beautiful boys to take care of – and that makes me strong. I know your father would want us to be happy, and therefore, I'm going to make his wish come true and try to be the happiest with what I still have. Goten needs his brother._ He needs you_. He has to grow up without his father - don't make him go without his big brother, too." Chi-Chi pleaded.

Minutes passed and not another word was spoken between the two. Chi-Chi sat, looking at her baby boy, watching him breathe, the only sign that he was still with her. After an eternity of watching Gohan, Chi-Chi slowly stood from her seat, sauntered forward, and leaned down. "I love you… and Goten loves you, too. Remember that." Chi-Chi whispered. She then reluctantly added, "And… tell your father I miss him, when you see him." She then hesitated for another moment before softly kissing her son's cheek.

And that was it. She turned around and walked out of the room. That was her kiss goodbye. Gohan's eyes opened wide and his mouth was ajar. She was now allowing Gohan to die. She was _allowing_ him to give up. Gohan's throat became tight and he whimpered out of pain. But this was not the physical pain he was feeling. This was pain that was felt deep down; hurting him worse than any self-pity, woeful, mental pain that he had felt in the last few years.

He felt contrite. He felt remorseful. He was _sorry_.

The demi-Saiyan was sorry for making everyone hurt again. Although this time, he was the one directly causing pain to those around him. He might as well have just gone out in front of everyone and slit his own throat.

And now, it was too late. Gohan could feel his own life slipping away. _W-why couldn't she just l-let me sleep the whole ti-ime?_ Gohan cried mentally. _I was supposed to protect my family and I only brought them misery. I failed you, again, Father… I failed you…_

Then all became still.

_

* * *

_

**Author's Note: **I really believe that the song I used for the quote in this chapter goes along very well with the whole story. The tune and pace the song has has the same mood this story portrays. It's slow, but powerful. I highly recommend it. I think of this story every time I hear that song, and I hope you will, too. Also, I've been wondering something for a while - the way Goten talks is the way I picture my little sibling talking when they are explaining things, or at least trying to. Is it a believeable way to make a three-year-old talk? Does it distract from the story? Can you understand what I'm trying to get Goten to say or are there certain ways I spell things that just make you go "... What did that kid just say?" What do you think?

But, anyway, until next time, folks!


	10. Onlooker

**Author's Note:** Well, Chapter 10 is here! You guys didn't even have to wait a full week for another update. Lucky you! Let's get right into it.

**Disclaimer: **Me no own.

* * *

Ch. 10: **O**nlooker

"**There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn't the end of the world, it's the beginning of a new life." – Unknown**

_Rustle, rustle._

Trunks rummaged through a bush, quickly searching it. If nothing shiny and orange caught his eye, then it wasn't the right spot and he moved on to the next. Goten performed the same search tactic – diving into bushes, looking behind trees, weeding through the grass; anywhere something could hide was checked. They searched and searched, making sure every area was inspected. The pair was determined in completing their objective – especially Trunks. He wanted Goten to be happy again. He didn't like seeing his best friend cry so much and if there was any way he could help Goten, Trunks was game, no questions asked.

The duo traveled further and further into the forest. The area took on a darker tint as they continued their journey in search for the Dragon Balls. Although eventually, both tykes had to sit down to rest, their feet starting to hurt. The two tried to catch their breaths. All the running was making them tired. _I could use a nap,_ Trunks thought as he rubbed his eye with his hand.

Suddenly, a growling noise echoed around their makeshift rest stop. The two demi-Saiyans froze and looked wide-eyed at one another. The sound echoed again, but this time, the pair glanced down at Goten's stomach. Goten giggled and put his hand on his belly and used the other to rub the back of his head. "Guess I kinda hungry." Goten chuckled. Trunks just visibly rolled his eyes at the chuckling child and sighed audibly.

At that moment, Trunks's stomach decided to make its appearance known, as well. Trunks blushed and put both hands on his stomach. The duo looked to one another, then laughed in unison. "Me too." Trunks confessed, although it wasn't much of a secret anymore. "We should go back to your house and get somethin' to eat, then we can go lookin' for the Dragon Balls again."

"Yeah." Goten agreed with a smile. The two stood up and looked around. Their smiles slowly turned downward as they surveyed the space around them. "Hey, Trunks," Goten finally spoke out to his friend. "Do you know where we are?"

Trunks scanned the forest, shifting his head from side to side before looking back to his friend. He shook his head, coming to the same conclusion as his friend.

They were lost.

It's strange how, when you realize you're lost, the area around you suddenly seems ten times scarier. Every shadow registered, every sound or rustling of leaves, every movement behind the trees was thought of as a different enemy, but all had one thing in common – they were ready and willing to attack.

Goten and Trunks backed into each other, trembling and whimpering helplessly as they thought of the gruesome things the monsters of the forest could do. "D-didn't your daddy start training you?" Goten sputtered out.

"Y-yeah, but only a little. My mom said she doesn't want my dad being too rough on me."

"Well, what can you do?" Goten asked. Trunks scratched his head and groaned a little before holding his hand out and conjuring up a ki blast the size of a golf ball. He then tossed it in the air, but it was only noticeable for a split-second before it disappeared. Goten shot an unimpressed look to Trunks.

"Well, my dad hasn't taught me how to use them yet! Get off my back – I don't see you pulling out any tricks!" Trunks exclaimed.

Goten and Trunks frantically shifted their eyes from side to side before Trunks pointed and stammered, "U-uh, over there! That way! I think your house is that way!"

The two demi-Saiyans broke out in a sprint through the forest, desperately trying to find their way back home.

**~0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~**

Chi-Chi slowly made her way back into her kitchen, her posture reflecting the forlorn expression on her face. Bulma sat in the same seat she occupied before the grieving mother left the room, her face bent downwards staring at a full cup of coffee that had, without a doubt, gone cold. Krillin was leaned up against the wall behind Bulma, one leg curved to rest against the wall, as well. Both of their heads snapped up when Chi-Chi re-entered.

"So…" Krillin spoke softly, trying not to sound desperate for an update, even though he was, "How'd it go?"

Chi-Chi sat herself at the chair across from Bulma and, without looking at the other two, simply replied, "I let him go."

"What?" Krillin and Bulma exclaimed in unison. Vegeta gaped at the woman, unable to believe what she said.

"I told him it was okay," she sniffed. "This decision is up to him. It's his life to choose – and he chooses death. The least I can do for my baby is let him go peacefully, without our grieving weighing on his mind."

Vegeta growled in his throat. _The boy chooses death_, the Prince declared in his head as he clenched his hands into fists at his sides, _This is unbelievable! How could he possibly make such a rash decision so easily?_ "So now we let him die?" Vegeta voiced, his tone unable to depict the anger he felt. It was an honest question, seeking an honest answer. Vegeta couldn't help but hope that someone would allow him to take another crack at the boy, but his hope was soon crushed when no one answered his question.

Vegeta then turned and stormed out of the house, fed up with this whole ordeal. Bulma watched her husband walk out the front door, knowing that he was taking this just as hard as everyone else.

**~0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~**

"Ow! Goten, wait!" Trunks yelped. He was on the ground, hands clasped around his right ankle, and squeezing tightly. Goten came to a screeching halt at the sound of his friend's distress. He went running back to Trunks to see what the problem was.

"What's w'ong, Trunks?" Goten asked with a fearful expression.

"I hurt my ankle!" Trunks whimpered in pain as a few tears slithered down his cheeks. Goten stared at the hurt ankle, trying to decide what to do.

"Can you stand up?" Goten asked as he eyed the area surrounding them. The monsters that were supposedly chasing after them now had the perfect opportunity to make a move and that just made the two Saiyan half-breeds even more afraid.

"I think so." Trunks responded. He slowly raised himself from his sitting position on the ground, but immediately fell back down on one knee and took in a sharp breath. As the two boys contemplated on what to do, a snap sound was heard, making the children flinch in obvious alarm. Goten promptly slung Trunks's arm over his shoulders and lifted his friend to his feet. Trunks limped as quickly as possible while Goten helped him take some of the pressure off of his hurt ankle. The duo made their way through the forest as fast as they could; the look on Trunks's face growing more and more pained with every step.

Eventually, the stinging was too much to handle and Trunks called out for them to stop. "I need a break," Trunks yelped with tears still threatening to fall, "Just for a few seconds."

"We can't stop now!" Goten replied in a frantic rush. Both boys were out of breath and completely tired. But, seeing the obvious agony on Trunks's face, Goten began searching for a safe place for him to rest. Someone must have been listening to their pleas because just as Goten started his search, he could see the trees parting up ahead, light pouring in, revealing the beauty of the world outside of this forest.

"We almost out," Goten cried out of joy, "Just a lil' bit more, Trunks." Trunks could now see the clearing as well and mustered up all of his will power to continue until he was sure they were safe. Obviously monsters didn't like the light - that's why they only came out during the night - so they were guaranteed safety once they broke free from the forest.

The duo limped their way through the thicket of trees, bushes, twigs, and dead leaves. The luminous light of the sun had shown bright in their eyes before they broke free. But just as they broke free from their prison, they came to a complete halt – what lay in front of them scared them more than the forest had. Their tiptoes came to a stop right at the edge of a cliff. A few rocks and pieces of the edge came loose with their weight and fell into the raging river hundreds of feet below. To the far right was the source of all the water – an intense waterfall raged down the side of the cliff. The rest of the ground rested meters away on the other side of the powerful river, although that wall of dirt and rock was so much taller than the cliff the two currently stood their ground on. It was as though the cliff they were standing on had sunk into the ground over the years – or perhaps the other cliff had just grown taller.

"What are we gonna do now?" Trunks cried. His ankle had reached its limits – he needed a break.

"Okay," Goten agreed with a defeated sigh, "We just sit down right here and you can rest. When you all done restin', we will-"

Then it all happened so fast, but so slow at the same time. A rustling bush nearby caused both children to flinch out of fear and spin around fast to see what it was. Although, when they spun, Goten's foot slipped and he was sent toppling over the edge. He let go of Trunks as not to drag him over the edge as well. His terrified screech could be heard echoing throughout the forest, his arms outstretched as he tried grabbing for the ledge of the cliff, but his effort failed.

Trunks looked over his shoulder, mortified as to what had just occured. He swiftly fell to his knees and carefully looked over the edge. "Goten!" he screamed while scanning the chasm and the violent waves so far below. However, there was no sign of Goten. The water was so far below, there was no way Goten could have fallen that fast and vanished into its depths already.

Just then, crying could be heard. Trunks followed the sound of the wailing with his eyes – finally coming to rest on a single form high above. It was Goten; he had somehow managed to perch himself on a single, flimsy tree growing out from the side of the taller cliff. He clung to the tree for dear life, for letting go would mean certain death for the three-year-old. Jagged parts of the cliff stuck out in all directions along with sharp rocks lining the bottom of the sides of the cliffs. Goten's sobbing could still be heard as he hung onto the tiny tree. "Goten!" Trunks called out urgently. Goten stopped crying for a moment when he heard Trunks's voice. "How'd you get up there?" he questioned. Goten looked around at where he was exactly before shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't know," he called back, fear ever so obvious in his tone, "Just get me down!"

"How?"

Just as Goten was about to answer, the tree he was currently occupying snapped a little at its hilt, causing the tiny Saiyan half-breed to descend a tad. This triggered the same reaction – he wailed again, begging for someone to get him down. Trunks threw his hands up in his hair as he paced back and forth, not sure of what to do, completely ignoring the throbbing pain his ankle produced.

Should he go and try to find help? Or should he stay here and try to help? Trunks was stuck.

**~0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~**

Vegeta walked outside, his arms crossed against his chest, his trademark scowl present on his face. Hearing the grunts and growls resonating from the Saiyan Prince, Piccolo peaked out from under his eyelids. Vegeta also glanced down at the Namekian and, seeing as he had broken out of his meditation, decided to speak up. "Namek," Vegeta growled, "You can communicate with the boy telepathically, can't you? Talk some sense into the brat!" Piccolo just blinked at the Prince before sighing.

"I've been trying. He cut off the link a while ago, and because of his power-drain, there is no chance of opening it back up." Vegeta leaned back against the Son house. "So he really dies." Vegeta stated. Piccolo nodded his head solemnly.

"It would seem so. His energy is on its last reserves. It won't be long now. It's best to just let him sleep. He would want it that way."

**~0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~**

The young teen forced every breath he took. He could barely keep up the process of breathing in air at this point. His heart thumped, then took its sweet time repeating the process. Gohan felt like the world was spinning right beneath his bed, making his stomach feel uneasy with every rotation.

As the demi-Saiyan lay in his bed, he couldn't help but think about everything he was leaving behind. His friends, his family – but it wasn't like he'd never see them again. They, too, will die eventually and they would most certainly make it into Heaven. Sure, everyone would miss him, but if they found the will to move on after his father's death, then they would most definitely have the strength to move on without him… wouldn't they?

Suddenly, Gohan's lungs became tight and his head felt like it was disconnected from the rest of the world. _This is it…_ Gohan strained. He could feel his skin get ever so colder, and he wished he has just one more blanket on him… or perhaps just one more person in his bed to share body heat with. Thinking of another person in his bed made Gohan realize someone he had totally neglected in this whole ordeal.

He forgot about Goten. He had forgotten to send his last regards to his little baby brother. Guilt resonated throughout Gohan's body as he remembered the last thing he said to his brother: _"Get out! Get out! I hate you, don't you get it? Go away! I never wanna see you again!"_

The hurt look in Goten's eyes, the way he ran from his brother as he cried – that was something Gohan seemed to be making his brother do quite often. Gohan clearly felt the guilt grab hold of his slow-beating heart and give it an unforgiving squeeze.

"I-I'm sor-ry," Gohan whispered before completely giving in to Death's will. But it seemed someone else still had other plans.

"Gohan…" a gentle voice called out. When Gohan gave no indication that he heard the voice, the voice became louder, more urgent. "_Gohan_." The voice seemed to start out low, grow louder, and then fade out again, like the roar of a car speeding by.

Gohan jerked back awake by the third time the voice called out his name, taking in a deep breath, his face going from a light tint of blue back to pale white. His eyes indistinctly searched the area, unable to realize that he was, indeed, still in his house. "What…?" Gohan questioned, disoriented to the point where he didn't know what was going on.

"Gohan," the voice called forth once more, "Hurry."

Gohan looked towards the voice that had disturbed his transition into the Otherworld, but couldn't really distinguish where it was coming from. He scanned his room, looking from left to right a few times. His eyes passed by the window by his desk a few times before finally realizing that something was there. Something that didn't belong there. When Gohan's eyes focused on the object outside of his window, it made him stop dead in his tracks.

"Hurry," the voice called again while motioning with its hand, "They need you."

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**Author's Note: **Chapter 10, done. It was short... shortest one in a while. But we're getting to the big finale soon, so stick around. I'd **love** to hear feedback from **everyone**. Until next time!


	11. Mission

**Author's Note: **Well, I'm updating early! And if I finish this weekend, I will post the next, _**and last**_, chapter of this story. Read on.

**Disclaimer: **Shouldn't you all know by now?

* * *

Ch. 11: **M**ission

"**Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear." – Ambrose Redmoon**

Gohan gazed at the figure standing a little ways away outside of the window next to his desk. He blinked a few times, and even squinted his eyes to try and focus better, but the appearance of the figure did not change. His orange outfit slightly swayed in the breeze, his black, spikey hair following suit. His hands were wrapped around his mouth as he called forth again, only this time, Gohan picked up on how his voice was exactly as he remembered it. "Gohan, come on! We don't have much time." The figure then waved his hand, trying to emphasize the point he was trying to make.

It was him. It was _him_. "Dad?" Gohan weakly tried to call, but the only sound that came out was an exhausted squeak.

"_Hurry_," was all his father replied, urgently. As Gohan stared dumbfounded at his supposedly-deceased father, he noticed how his form took on a certain degree of transparency. Gohan could see through his father's body, to the trees that stood their ground behind him. _Oh_, the teen rasped in his head, _he's still dead…_

_But maybe, he's come for me… Maybe he's here, personally, to take me to Otherworld. So I'm dead? But I don't feel dead, I feel exactly the same - like shit. _Gohan saw his father give another urgent wave. _Do I have to follow him? Perhaps that's how some people's spirits get left on Earth… they didn't, or couldn't, follow after the one who came for them in time…_

_I need to go_, Gohan concluded. He breathed deeply, turning his head up to the ceiling. Just the action of turning his head made the demi-Saiyan's stomach flip. He choked down a dry heave before moving any further.

Gohan's first attempt at raising himself from his bed ended in failure. As soon as he tried to sit up, his whole world spun and he ended up on his back once more. His eyes moved toward his father again, who remained right outside his window, giving him enough motivation to try his actions all over again. Gohan didn't take the slow route this time around. He hoisted himself from his bed and thrusted himself to the side. The dark-haired teen fell from his bed onto his hands and knees. His whole body shook with fatigue as his arms and legs supported his weight. Gohan breathed heavily and gave a jerk as his body convulsed, trying to silence a dry heave. Sweat already beaded on his forehead and leaked down his face. "Quickly, Gohan," Goku called out again. His urgency must've meant that his time here on Earth was running out fast_. I need to hurry… before he fades and I'm stuck here… for eternity…_

Gohan crawled his way forward, every movement tougher than the last, but he continued nonetheless. The thought of finally reuniting with his father, finally able to apologize for everything, gave the teen enough incentive to push through his pain.

After what seemed like a thousand-mile journey, Gohan reached the wall that held his window. He grasped at the window ledge and forcefully pulled himself up – his teeth clenching and his eyes clamping shut with the shear stress he felt with this action. When Gohan reached the top of the ledge, he threw his body over in one fluid movement. He summersaulted out of his room and landed on his back. The wind was knocked from his lungs, preventing any noise from emanating. Gohan looked helplessly up to his father and slowly raised a hand towards him.

"H-elp, Da-ad." Gohan sputtered in a whisper. Goku only looked at his son and backed away. Gohan's eyes opened wide, anxiety and fear eating at him until he heard his father's voice.

"This way… Gohan…" His voice was faint, like he was a further distance away.

"W-why can't you ju-ust carry me?" Gohan asked._ Maybe he can't touch me because he's a ghost in the human world… Maybe he doesn't have enough power here…_

Gohan rolled over onto his side and pushed himself up into a sitting position. He gasped for breath as he tried to summon up enough energy to make it to the Otherworld.

"Stand, Gohan. I know you can do it." Goku encouraged with a soft smile and backed away a few feet more. Hearing his father put faith in him, Gohan gripped the grass as tightly as he could and slid his feet under his body. He slowly stood, wavering a few times before getting his balance back. When Goku saw that his son was on his own two feet, he turned around and started running into the forest.

"Wait!" Gohan tried to yell, but only accomplished in speaking just above a whisper. His legs shook from the strain of just standing, how was he expected to run? "I c-can't-"

"You _can._ Quickly now… not much time." Goku replied. He then took off running again. Gohan looked around, taking in one last look at his home before concentrating on how he was going to run. He gently picked up his foot and brought it forward, slamming it back down on the ground like it weighed a ton. He did the same with the other, but seeing his father so much farther away pushed the demi-Saiyan to try it faster. He got a few feet ahead before one of his legs gave out and he toppled over into a nearby tree. He swallowed another gag and feebly wiped at the sweat running down his chin. _There's no way… I can do this… _Gohan gasped. Suddenly, he felt a firm grip on his shoulder. Gohan lifted his head to see who it was, and looked up into the kind, yet encouraging eyes of his father.

"I believe in you." Goku smiled warmly. Gohan could feel a strange sensation flowing from his father's hand that rested upon his shoulder. It was chilling, like an ice cube being placed on bare skin, but also comforting. Gohan closed his eyes as the sensation enveloped him, wrapping his mind and body in a sweetly frozen state. His breathing slowed until it was normal and the sweat ceased to fall. His mind abruptly cleared, forgetting everything for a brief second. Gohan let out a shaky, foggy breath as if it was below freezing outside. But then, Goku pulled away and everything clicked back on, like someone had flicked a switch. The teen demi-Saiyan expected some kind of miracle to happen when his father pulled away – maybe transport him to Otherworld or at least give him some strength to make it there himself. Although, that wasn't the case. Gohan felt like he was going to pass out on the spot; his eyelids feeling heavy and his legs shaking with his weight.

"Stay focused." Gohan heard his father snap. Gohan gazed up at his father, trying to understand what the point of this all was, and what exactly had his father tried to do. "I made you calm, cleared your mind. I can't give you strength - the dead have no strength – but this is important. We need to _go_. So _move_."

For the first time in a while, Gohan could think clearly. His mind was relaxed, like a weight was lifted from it. He still felt dizzy and weak, but he could piece together reality and see it like he used to. He shook his head from side to side quickly, earning a sickening flip of his stomach, and brought his hands up to his face. He eyed his hands, clenched them, and unclenched them. The teen then looked up to his father and said, "Dad…"

Goku took off sprinting further into the forest. Gohan took in some air and held his breath, hoping that would stop his stomach from convulsing. After he was sure no such thing would occur, he took off. Heavy steps soon turned into light trots and, without even realizing it, he was soon running as he desperately tried to catch up to his hero. The young teen wasn't running at the same speed as his father, he was running fairly slow still, but it was progress. Gohan's breathing became heavy, however he continued on. Every so often, Goku would turn around and face his son, making sure he was still following, and then continue to run.

Gohan felt as though his legs were going to fall off. His stomach began its upset protests once again and he felt light-headed. Perhaps Goku could sense his son beginning to falter and slow down, for he spun at that moment and urgently waved as he spoke, "Just a little more! Not much farther. I know you can do it, _my son_!"

The demi-Saiyan perked up at hearing those familiar words. _My son_. The last time his father spoke those words, he was picking up the mess Gohan had created. For years, those words held nothing but disappointment and regret – words only spoken to those who deserved to be severely reprimanded. But hearing those words spoken as an encouragement rather than a punishment caused something inside the demi-Saiyan to click. At first, it confused him. _Why is Father encouraging me now, when before I had only disappointed him? _Then, suddenly, his last words spoken to Gohan before he died took on a whole new meaning. It was like a door was opened, letting in cool water to wash away the filthy, tainted sting his counterfeit sin.

Never was Goku unhappy with his son. Never had he felt any shame as he looked upon his friends, his loved ones, for the last time before running to his son's rescue. Felt no regret when he looked into the sad, defeated eyes of Gohan and made the simple decision that would end up haunting his first-born for the next few years. It was Goku's choice to make, and his alone.

"I'm sorry!" Gohan belted out suddenly. His legs long grew numb with the exerted force, now feeling as if he were running on clouds. This made Goku stop for a moment, glancing over his shoulder at his son. "I'm sorry," Gohan continued, "for everything. I didn't mean for things to turn out like this! I don't want to feel hurt anymore, I don't want to be weak anymore! I'm sorry I've caused everybody so much pain, but I promise I'll change! _I don't wanna die!_" Tears streamed down his face as he confessed to his father.

Goku smiled softly at his son as he drew closer. Just before Gohan reached his father, Goku simply replied, "I know." His voice faded as he then stepped through a section of parted trees, disappearing into the bright light that shown through them. Gohan immediately followed after, tripping over himself and tumbling through the path.

Gohan landed with a thud and skidded to a stop on the ground. He tried to catch his breath as he lay on the grass, the sound of a roaring waterfall reminding him of peace and tranquility. But there were more sounds in close range, ones that didn't fit in with the serene tone.

"Gohan!" A familiar voice called out in confusion and fear. Gohan's eyes snapped open at the realization of whose voice it was. "What are you doing here?"

Gohan looked up to Trunks, noticing the petrified expression as he turned and looked at something. Gohan followed his gaze and felt as if the air was re-knocked from his lungs. His eyes locked on to the terrified, wailing child that is his baby brother, perched on a flimsy branch sticking out the side of a cliff. "Goten!" Gohan screamed. Goten ceased his crying for a brief moment as he looked to his brother.

"Go'an!" he called back. "Get me down, I scared!" Goten wailed again. Gohan stood up, albeit a little too quickly, and fell back onto his backside.

"Please, help him!" Trunks cried, shaking Gohan's shoulder.

"I can't! Where is my dad? He can help!"

"Your dad?" Trunks questioned, looking at Gohan like he was crazy. "No one's been through here! I've been trying to find a way to get Goten down!"

Gohan looked around desperately from side to side. The area around them wasn't that big, so it wasn't like it would've been easy for Trunks or even Goten to miss someone like Goku walking around. And not even Gohan could see him anymore. Come to think of it, Trunks _could_ see him, which meant Gohan wasn't a ghost like his father – he _wasn't_ dead. _Is this where Father was trying to bring me –_

Just then, the branch that held Goten cracked again, causing Goten to be shaken from it. "Goten!" Gohan screamed. Goten quickly latched onto the branch with his hand, letting his body dangle dangerously. It was, indeed, a good thing to be part Saiyan.

"Goten," Gohan called out calmly as he stood once more. Goten slowly looked to his brother, fearing any movement would cause the last piece of the branch to collapse and send him into the raging waters below. "Stay still and try not to move too much. And whatever you do, _do not_ let go." Gohan then walked closer to the edge of the cliff and got into a stance he thought he'd never do again – he crouched, bringing his elbows in, head slightly bent downwards, and clenched his hands into fists.

_I know now, Father… I know what you were trying to do. Though, I still don't know if you were really there at all. But, I know that_ someone _didn't want me to die – whether it was my conscious mind or not – This is my test… And I will not fail!_

Gohan then clenched his teeth and growled in his throat. He reached deep within himself, going far beyond his thoughts, his memories, frantically searching his being, trying to call upon the power that was locked up in the darkest depths. The teen demi-Saiyan tugged and tugged, struggling to pull the power forth. Gohan could hear the words his father spoke to him, if it was his father at all – _I know you can do it, my son._

Gohan dug even further, clawing his way past the pain he felt for so many years, past his insecurities, finally coming to a door at the back of his mind – the word _Murderer_ scrawled in something red across it. His heart raced, screaming at him that this wasn't a good idea. But nonetheless, Gohan reached forth and grabbed hold of the handle. As soon as his hand connected with the doorknob, a rushing sensation full of dread, fear, anxiety, and sadness filled the teen's heart. He quickly removed his hand and held it to his chest. It felt like a melancholy-laced electrical shock had ravaged his body, and suddenly, he was too afraid to look what was behind the door. The dark-haired teen abruptly began inching away from the door, a few sullen tears edging their way from his eyes.

"_Please, help him!"_ Gohan suddenly heard echo throughout the dark abyss. Other fragments of sentences soon followed suit along with the memories that came with them.

"_I scared… of the boom… so I sleep with you?" – _Goten asking to share a bed with his brother, the one who would protect him.

"_L-Leave me alone… I-I'm fine." _– Gohan lying to the family that only wanted to help.

"_Don't play games, kid. I want to know what your problem is." _– Piccolo, trying to find out what was bothering his former student.

"_Can you teach me to fly?"_ – Goten trying to get that much closer to his big brother by asking him to pass down what he had learned.

"_There's no such thing as wishing."_ – Gohan yelling at his brother for the soul purpose of hurting him.

"_Wise up!"_ – Piccolo trying to encourage his former student to try harder as they fought, just so he could release some pent up anger.

"_It's nice to see you smiling again."_ – Piccolo happy with Gohan, even shortly after he attempted to kill his former teacher.

"_Something is wrong with my son, Bulma."_ – Chi-Chi scared and seeking consolation in her friend.

"_Gohan's the monster now! C'mon, Goten, run!" _– Trunks and Goten wanting to play with Gohan, oblivious to his current state.

"_Stop worrying so much. I'm fine."_ – Gohan telling Piccolo that he was alright, despite his growing weakness.

"_I feel fine! Why can't we just go home?"_ – Gohan's attempt at running away from the people trying to help.

"_You know something we don't, half-breed."_ – Vegeta's unnecessarily violent attempt at getting the young demi-Saiyan to talk.

"_Get out! Get out! I hate you, don't you get it? Go away! I never wanna see you again!" _– Gohan tearing out Goten's heart

"_I am on your side, Gohan. We all are."_ – Krillin trying to convince the troubled teen that everyone was just trying to help.

"_You really will die. Is that what you want?"_ – Piccolo bluntly, but truthfully, getting the message to his young friend.

"_And… tell your father I miss him, when you see him." _– His own mother letting her son die.

"_Gohan, get me down! I scared!"_ – Goten desperately wanting his older brother's protection.

Gohan, unafraid, reached forth again, grabbed hold of the doorknob and flung the door open. What stood behind the door made Gohan's mouth drop open.

A tiny child stood on the other side. His pitch black hair tied back into a tiny ponytail. His shirt yellow with the families "Son" characters printed on the front and the green sleeves a shade darker around the wrists, most likely due to the tears that fell from the child's face. But the strangest of all was the thick looking substance that filled the door frame. Its colour was a dark, tainted shade and rippled about, like waves in the ocean, distorting the appearance of the small child on the other side. It looked to be the same consistency as the infected water he fell into in a long ago dream.

Gohan crouched forward, causing the smaller version of himself to take a tiny step back. "What's wrong?" Gohan asked casually. The tiny toddler just gave a soft hiccup and brought a sleeve up to wipe away more tears. "Are you scared?" Gohan asked, obviously aware that the child was, indeed, frightened. The child gave a small nod, hiding behind his large, green sleeves.

"I-I scared," the toddler version of Gohan trembled, "of being bad. I don't wanna do bad things." The child began crying softly again.

"You don't have to be scared." Gohan smiled gently. "Listen, right now, there is someone that needs our help. And we're the only ones who can save him. Do you know who I'm talking about?"

"Goten…" the toddler spoke softly.

"That's right. And I need my power back in order to save him."

"But… Daddy… and Piccolo…"

"I promise none of those things will ever happen again. Father knew what he was doing when he sacrificed himself to save the planet. And Piccolo has forgiven me for what I almost did. But I don't think I'll ever forgive myself if I don't save Goten right now. So, please?" Gohan pleaded.

"No more bad things?" The toddler questioned after a few moments of thinking.

"No more." Gohan shook his head and smiled. The mini-Gohan then held out his tiny hand, waiting for Gohan to pull him out of the dirtied water that trapped him. The older Gohan reached forth, passing his hand into the water barrier and grabbing hold of his toddler version. As soon as the child was released from the barrier, he transformed into a bright, warming light that wrapped around Gohan and filled him with an all-too familiar feeling.

Gohan's eyes snapped open as adrenaline coursed through his veins, his hair sparking and flickering before it stood on end, its colour switching from pitch black to a magnificent gold. He breathed deep, in and out, as his body caught up with his sudden power surge. He looked towards Goten who looked exhausted, to Trunks, in the same spot before he closed his eyes. It felt like he was inside of his mind forever, but from the looks of it, he couldn't have been absent for more than a minute or two.

"Go'an, I slippin'!" Goten cried as he tried to re-grip the branch. Gohan ran towards the edge of the cliff and, without hesitation, jumped from the edge towards Goten. But, instead of flying at that instant, he began falling. His hair flashing from gold to black and back as he tried to collect his thoughts. He could hear Trunks and Goten screaming his name as he fell.

Gohan tried to recapture how flying felt, and tried to figure out how he could do it before so carelessly. _Think, Gohan, think_, he repeated in his mind. He then looked up towards Goten, and just the sight of him being in trouble fueled him to push himself to the brink.

At that moment, he stopped falling and hovered for a few moments. He then blasted upwards towards his baby brother.

Suddenly, out of the sky landed five people, one being carried by Piccolo and the other being carried by Krillin. Piccolo set Chi-Chi down, as did Krillin with Bulma, but all five just stood, gapping at the sight before them. "Mom! Dad!" Trunks yelled and limped over to where his mother and father stood.

"Goten!" Chi-Chi screeched and put her hands on her face.

"Where is Gohan? I felt his energy just a second ago-" Piccolo called out.

Just then, Gohan appeared from below and wobbled his way towards his brother, still clutching the branch. "Help me, Go'an! My arm is getting' tired!" Goten cried.

"I'm coming, Goten!" Krillin yelled out as he powered up, but halted his actions when Piccolo threw his arm in the short man's path.

"Krillin, don't!" Piccolo shouted, looking at Krillin with a dumbfounded expression. "Look at him…" Piccolo trailed off.

"He's flying." Vegeta finished. Everyone stared in awe at the two siblings, trying to decide whether or not intervening would be a good thing. They then listened in, hearing that Gohan was actually speaking as he wobbled in the air, getting close to Goten, but then faltering, falling, and rising up again just to repeat the process over again.

"Hold on, just a little longer!" Gohan yelled. His body was still trying to figure out a flight pattern, not quite used to listening to Gohan's commands yet. He would think _Get closer_ and accidentally ram into the cliff itself. He would then think _Back up_, only to fly backwards with such force and almost crash into the group of spectators he had no idea were there.

_More to the left. _Swaying just out of reach, almost able to grab the child, only to suddenly fall, hair flickering from gold to black, then back again.

_Up._ Soaring high up into the air.

_Down._ Soaring downwards towards the water.

"Go'an," Goten abruptly called out. "I don't want you to hate me."

This caused Gohan to stop dead in his tracks. "I don't hate you." Gohan replied. "Don't ever think that I do!"

"But-"

"I know what I said before, but I was just angry. Please, believe me – I love you Goten. And if you hang on, I promise that I'll be a better brother to you. I can't say that everything will go back to normal because I don't want it to. I want to be a better person, especially to you. And I'll teach you how to fly, just like you asked. Just please, hold-"

_Snap._

The branch disconnected from the cliff's wall. Goten screamed, as well as everyone else. "Goten!" Chi-Chi screamed as she raced to the edge of the cliff and looked over. Her scream was the last sound made as everyone watched, holding their breaths.

Gohan swooped down, following his little brother, racing to catch him before the jagged rocks and raging waters did. _Almost_, Gohan thought as he reached out his arm towards Goten. He closed his eyes and gave one final push as he tried to grip at something, _anything_. When he felt something in his grasp, he immediately yanked back, catching the small child in an embrace that would make any Saiyan father proud.

Goten held his brother around his neck and cried. Gohan opened his eyes to see him and his younger sibling only a couple feet away from the bottom of the cliffs, the water slapping up against the sharp rocks and splashing onto the bottom of Gohan's feet. With his heart racing, he took a deep breath in through his nose, turned around, and headed up towards the cliff where a crowd of cheers and relieved smiles and sighs greeted the two.

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**Author's Note:** How was it? You guys should all know by now that I'm such a review-whore. And, as I stated above, I'm gonna try and wrap up by this weekend. Probably gonna pull an all-nighter just to bring you guys the conclusion that will wrap up all the loose ends. So, keep a look out tomorrow for yet another chapter!


	12. Epilogue

**Author's Note:** Alas! I regret to inform you of this stories closing. **sadfacee* Well, let's not keep you from the conclusion, although nothing much really happens. Just wraps up everything.

**Discalimer:** I do not own.

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Ch. 12: **E**pilogue

"**Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero." - Marc Brown**

Gohan dropped to the ground as Piccolo thrust his foot in his former student's direction. Gohan took this opportunity to swing his leg around and trip the Namekian , then kick him back towards the trees. Gohan wasted no time, cupping his hands and sounding out each syllable "Ka… Me…" Gohan then flew towards Piccolo as he sounded out the next set, "Ha… Me…" He was right above Piccolo, whose face took on one of shock; his eyes wide and his mouth agape.

"Ha!" Gohan called out, thrusting his hands forward. Although, nothing came forward, nothing shot out towards the Namek. Gohan then started laughing as he put one hand behind his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "You lose again, Piccolo. How many times is that now?" He then held a hand out towards his friend as he continued to laugh.

"Alright, don't get too cocky. You'll slip up sooner or later." Piccolo replied with a smile as he took Gohan's hand and helped himself up. "But you are getting better, I'm glad to see."

"I've been practicing between studying." Gohan smiled the trademark Son grin.

"My turn! My turn! No fair!" a small voice called out. The toddler then ran over to the two and yanked on his brother's hand. "Go'an, you said I could spar next!"

"Okay, Goten." Gohan said to his younger brother.

"Goten spars, too?" Piccolo questioned.

"How do you think I've been practicing? Goten is a pro." Gohan smiled at his younger sibling who gave a "Victory V" to the green man. Gohan then lifted the youngster onto his shoulders and began running around yelling, "Champion, champion. Goten is the Champion!" Goten giggled as Gohan bounced around their yard. He bounced quite high, bouncing almost as high as he trees. He knew Goten loved to feel the wind rush through his hair, and the way his stomach tickled when they fell back to Earth.

"Stop, stop!" Goten giggled when he couldn't take it anymore. Gohan halted his actions and removed Goten from his shoulders and placing him on the ground.

"Okay," Gohan voiced, "Ready to show Piccolo what you've learned so far?" Goten gave a sharp nod of his head and got into a sloppy crouching position. Although, Gohan knew he would learn the correct way after a few more years of practice. "Ready…" Gohan sounded off. "Set…"

"Gohan, Goten! Time for lunch!" Chi-Chi interrupted as she stood in the doorway of their tiny little house.

"Aw, man!" Goten pouted and crossed his arms, dropping out of his own little defensive stance.

"It's okay, Goten. Maybe later." Gohan tried to console, but Goten wasn't having any of it. Then Gohan got an idea. "Hey, if you promise to eat all of your lunch, and after your nap, we can practice more on your flying. How about that?"

Goten perked up at that. He basically ran into the small house, no doubt to devour his lunch, then sleep it off on the living room couch. Piccolo looked to Gohan with a smile before placing a hand on his head. _Glad to have you back, kid_, Piccolo sent through their mental link.

_Glad to be back, Piccolo,_ Gohan sent back. And with that, Piccolo took to the skies.

Gohan made his way back into the house and made his way to his seat at the kitchen table. As fate would have it, Goten was already halfway done with his meal with no intentions of slowing down. Of course, though, that was normal for him. Anything else would cause worry.

"Bulma invited us to her house for a big dinner." Chi-Chi said with a smile. "She invited everyone actually. She said it's time everyone got back together. A little reunion."

"Really? We're gonna go, right?" Gohan responded with genuine excitement.

"Of course," Chi-Chi laughed at her son's eagerness.

"You'll play with me and Trunks, won't you Go'an?" Goten asked as he swallowed the last of his food.

"Well, duh, squirt! What else would I do?" Gohan replied as he patted his younger sibling on the head.

After lunch was cleaned up, it was time for Goten's nap. Gohan brought the toddler to the room they shared and laid him down in his bed. After a quick story to put the boy to sleep, Gohan exited the room and found his mother sitting on the couch, gazing absently at a picture. When Gohan approached her, she snapped from her trance and immediately put the picture back on the stand. Gohan glanced sideways at the picture that had captivated his mother - a small family of only three occupied it. A picture of a family that seemed all wrong now, like an incorrect answer to a question. The man in that picture no longer existed, and the boy _not _in that picture did indeed exist, now. Gohan noted how, even though the family looked happy in that picture, the picture that sat next to that one, the more recent picture with a proud, single mother and two young boys, held a family that looked just as happy - if not more.

"Mom..." Gohan spoke softly.

"What is it, honey?" she asked, her eyes showing concern, probably worried that she had upset her son somehow.

"I was just wondering… Do you mind if I go out for a little while? I won't be gone long, I swear." The demi-Saiyan knew that the last time he left the house by himself, which was almost four months ago, he didn't come back home for hours, and wounded no less. But that was before, all of his wounds, physical and emotional, have, for the most part, healed up. Gohan was now determined to earn his mother's trust back.

Chi-Chi looked at her son without expression for a few moments before smiling softly. "Alright. But I want you home in an hour. Have I made myself clear?" Having a curfew was a good sign that his mother was putting trust in her son again.

"Yes, ma'am." Gohan saluted. He then ran outside and immediately took to the air. "See you in exactly one hour!" Gohan shouted to his mother before flying off.

It had been so long since Gohan had some time to himself. He couldn't blame everyone for wanting to keep a close eye on the boy, not after everything that had happened. But now, he was ready to go off on his own. He was finally able to face what happened and come to terms with it. Now there was one place he needed to visit before he could put this whole situation behind him.

Gohan landed on a small area of grass. He sat down and gazed at the trees far below, watching as the midday sun hung brightly in the sky, showering him with warmth. He then began to think back to those days where his soul purpose for coming to this place was only to test out experiments with his mother's kitchen knives, and then carelessly throw them into the distance after they failed. He breathed a sigh of relief, happy that this place didn't hold the same ominous feeling that it used to. This small area, too, seemed to be moving on. Maybe it was just Gohan's imagination, but the sun seemed to shine more profoundly on this place, making it that much more comforting.

"I'm glad this place has gotten more joyful." Gohan said to the skies. "After all, it was where we used to spend our time together during the last few years you were alive, Dad." Gohan smiled. "We used to watch the sun set, and then watch it come up after a whole night of training," Gohan's voice began to tremble a little. He could feel a knot constricting his throat, making his voice take on a strained tone. "We'd come to camp here a lot, too." A few tears slipped from his eyes and raced down his face. He swallowed before continuing, "I miss those times. And I miss you, Father." He sniffed. "I'm still not sure if it was really you that lead me to Trunks and Goten, or not. It could've just been my imagination for all I know. But I choose to believe that it was you, watching over us, and helping in any way that you could." Gohan wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, then wiped his hand on his jeans. "Even in death, you're always playing Protector." He then looked out towards the trees and watched as a sudden flock of doves flew from the branches, flying overhead, giving off occasional chirps. Gohan lay back on the cool grass, putting his hands behind his head as he did so. He closed his eyes and took in the sweet scent of the forest. "We're going to Bulma's tonight for a celebration," Gohan voiced. "Everyone's gonna be there. I bet it'll be fun. Of course, it won't be the same without you, but I'm sure you're just living it up in Otherworld." Gohan chuckled as he pictured his father eating insane amounts of food, especially for a dead man, and everyone standing around with astonished faces. Gohan sighed and looked up into the trees above his head, casting shadows over the teen's body. "I think I'm ready to start talking to Goten about you. He does ask a lot of questions and Mom usually answers him quickly. She probably doesn't want Goten bothering me with those types of questions, but I think I'm finally ready to tell Goten your story." Gohan sat up, excitement painting his features as he wiggled happily in his seat. "Oh, I can't wait until he wakes up! Just wait until he _does _learn how to fly! Oh boy, we'll have our hands full then, won't we?"

Gohan laughed as a gentle breeze picked up and softly swirled around. It felt good against the demi-Saiyan's heated skin. The leaves in the trees above rustled slightly as Gohan happily accepted the cool air circling about.

He felt fine. He felt more than fine, he felt _amazing_. He felt as though nothing in the world would ever hurt him again. Even if it was true or not, Gohan liked to think that his father was in Otherworld right now, making eye contact with Gohan as he stared at a random spot in the sky. And he could've sworn he heard someone call his name, swiftly drifting to his ears as he sat looking towards the sky. But then again, maybe it was just the wind.

* * *

**Author's Note:** And there you go. I want to thank everybody who took the time to read and actually stick around until the end. Truthfully, I never thought I'd finish this story. There were times where I was just sitting at my computer, basically ripping my hair out because of writer's block. And since this ending really doesn't have that much going on, I'm posting early. I'd feel like a real dick if I kept you guys waiting all week just for something like this.

I will be returning with more stories, I just don't know how soon. A new story I'd like to work on is an Ouran High School angst fic starring Kaoru and Hikaru. I'm not big on the whole "twincest" thing, so it wouldn't be a yaoi story... sorry to disappoint anyone. But it will be filled with angsty goodness! So, in the future, if you see my pen name, I'd be ecstatic if you checked out my other stories. And that's not to say I'm done with Dragon Ball Z. Because I'm not. To let you in on a little secret, I kinda, sorta am thinking of a sequel to this story. _**Maybe! **_I'm not entirely sure yet. I don't know where to go with the sequel yet other than the cliche, repetitive themes I've already used in this story - and that'd just get boring. Anyway, I'm ranting. I think it's because I just don't want to see this story end! Now how am I supposed to spend my weekends? Guess I'll go get some friends or something...

Lol, okay. So I guess until next time, folks!


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